Shades of Jade and Stygian
by Writophrenic
Summary: AU [SasuSaku] "His voice was low and calm and it did those crazy things to her body again. What was it, audio viagra for women or something?" Sakura had to be careful not to let him affect her so. Former crush or not. College was going to be hard enough without thinking about the ever-indifferent and condescending raven-haired Uchiha.
1. Him she loved

**Author's Note: **Hey guys I hope you enjoy the story you are about to read. It's my attempt at a SasuSaku Fic. It's a college AU…obviously.

**DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Naruto or its characters (Let's thank Kishimoto for this). I'm simply a weirdo who loves anime and manga. If I was making money from this, I would probably be on some island somewhere sipping on some fruit drinks with a hot guy rubbing sunscreen lotion on my back. **

**Enough weirdness from me… Read and Review.**

**xoxo**

**Chapter one.**

There was one truth universally acknowledged by all who met him, Uchiha Sasuke was a dick.

It was as unbelievable as it was ridiculous how someone who said so little, managed to offend so many people.

In junior high school, he was the boy that every girl wanted to date and every guy hated because secretly they wanted to be him. He did not have any real friends. Let's face it, it is kind of hard being friends with a guy who makes you feel like an unnamed extra in your own life. He did however, have numerous admirers and one blonde boy who desperately tried to bring down his walls and wanted so much to be Sasuke's friend. If we are being honest, it would be safe to say that in some twisted way, the blonde and the raven really had been friends.

At the end of junior high, he left home without any goodbyes and that was the last that anyone heard of him.

~xoxo~

_Konoha University._

It was midday at Konoha University and as the sun illuminated the school grounds, the students felt like it was brightening up not only their day but also their futures.

In the halls of the University were many a students with their luggage and each was as excited about the year to come as the next.

This was not only going to be a new start for most but it was going to be a period in their lives when they would do the most growing up. A time when they would decide the kind of people that they wanted to be in society.

One girl was standing in her new room waiting for her roommate to show. The excitement and joy she felt could not be contained.

Her pink, shoulder length hair shone in the afternoon light. The rays of light peered through the open window and touched everything in the room, making it come to life.

She was on the phone with her very attached mother and as much as it was embarrassing her getting a phone call this early on, she was just as happy and grateful to have such loving and caring parents.

"Mom, seriously? It has just been 6 hours. I haven't even unpacked my stuff yet. How can you possibly miss me already?" Sakura Haruno's voice said to the woman on the other side of the line.

"I know that but it will just be so strange not having you at home with us. I can't believe it is your first year of college already_." _Her mother sniffed as she spoke.

"Mom, come on. Stop crying, I will be coming to visit as often as I can." Sakura said as she twirled her pink hair. "I have to go now, I think my roommate is about to come soon. I will keep in touch mom. I promise."

"Okay. And please be safe. I know how college is, remember to use a condom. I packed you a full box at the bottom of your suitcase. Ribbed" The woman on the other side said.

"Mom, geez! Stop! What the hell? You did not just do that." Sakura's face reddened. How could her mom be so free with her?

"Just looking out for my little girl." Sakura's mom said, "I love you."

"I love you too mom." Sakura was still hot with embarrassment and wanted to get off the phone call that had gone from sweet to awkward. "Bye mom."

After she was satisfied that her mother had heard her, Sakura hang up the phone and threw it on her new bed.

She was rather excited for her college life to begin. High school hadn't exactly been a walk in the park for her. High schoolers are mean and they never resisted teasing her about the colour of her hair.

This however was going to be a new start for her- a way to reinvent herself.

She couldn't contain the smile that formed on her face.

Walking over to one of her suitcases, she lifted it from the floor and carefully put it on her bed. She got out her beddings- a red duvet with matching pillow cases and blue bed sheets. After making the bed, Sakura moved to her other suitcase. She opened it and studied the contents. Her forehead pinched.

"I really need a wardrobe change." She said to herself.

Picking the folded clothes in heaps and putting them in the closet on her side of the room, she really hoped her roommate was not going to be a judgmental neat freak. When she reached the shoes at the bottom, she heard the door handle turn and her stomach got butterflies.

Her roommate entered and Sakura dropped the ankle boots held in her hands to the floor. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor too as she took in the lean figure of the blonde girl who had been her frenemy since forever.

"Forehead?!" the blonde standing at the door was just as shocked as Sakura.

"Come on, dear lord, what did I ever do to deserve this unfairness?" Sakura said as she bent over to pick up her boots. "Of all the sluts in the world, you had to be my roommate.

Sakura suddenly felt the walls getting smaller. This was supposed to be her time.

"This isn't exactly a picnic for me either." Ino said as she entered and closed the door.

"I thought you weren't even coming to this college. What happened?" Sakura asked as she continued to move her shoes from her suitcase to her small closet.

"Well, not that it's any of your business but my parents thought the University of Kiri was too far away and so I am stuck here with the rest of you losers."

"Ha, well what does that make you? You are here so I guess you are just as bad as the rest of us."

"Forehead, please, you can't compare yourself to me." she laid the suitcase she had been dragging behind her down and opened it. Ino then squatted to the floor, placed her hand in and showed Sakura one high heeled shoe with a bright red sole, "I wear Christian Louboutin, you wear God-doesn't-even-know-what."

Sakura hugged her blue pumps to her chest and smiled. Sakura wasn't poor. She was average. Ino was just…filthy rich.

"Say what you want pig, I am happy with my shoes." Sakura then stuck out her tongue. A bit immature but she didn't care. "Besides, money doesn't buy happiness."

"Said every poor person…ever."

"Oh shut up."

"You're only mad because I'm right. Mind you, I have 3 more suitcases coming." Ino said then started studying the room. "Wow! Could these dorms be any more archaic and nasty?"

"Hey, they are just fine. I kinda like it here already." Sakura said as she put the last of her shoes in the closet.

"Of course you do."

Suddenly Sakura wasn't so excited about college. With Ino as her roommate, she could only imagine the kind of noise and different men that the blonde will be bringing over.

"So are you going for that fresher's bash?" Ino asked.

"No! Do you have any idea what goes on at those parties?" Sakura shivered just thinking about it. She was excited about college, but not that excited.

"O-kay…square alert." Ino laughed, "If you maintain the same character you had in high school, you won't have any friends." She said matter-of-factly.

The pink haired girl had no response. She did after all want to reinvent herself. Maybe going for a party wouldn't be so bad. She would try out new things but nothing that would require her to change who she was.

Ino looked at her and laughed again.

"You were not seriously planning on being the book worm and insufferable know-it-all even in college, were you?"

"I am here pre-med, so no Ino, I was just planning on spending my days drinking and having sex with random hot guys." Sakura shook her head.

"Don't be cute. Sarcasm will only get you this far." Then Ino indicated just how much by measuring about 2cm with her thumb and index finger.

"And being a fun loving slut will get you STDs, so what's your point?" Sakura then slumped on her bed. This conversation was exhausting her.

Was this how all her days would be?

"My point is, college is…you know what, never mind. Just continue being your boring self." Ino finally gave up. You can drag a hobo to a shower but you can't make him take a bath.

"Glad we understand each other, pig."

"No wonder you have no boyfriend." The blonde said under her breath.

"What was that?" The emerald eyed Haruno raised herself off the bed and looked challengingly at her roommate.

"I said, I'm going to have a look around." And with that she left the room.

"This is gonna be a stressful year." Sakura dropped her face comically on her pillow and screamed out loud. Her screams muffled by the red polka dot soft pillow.

~xoxo~

_Male Dormitories, Konoha University._

"How the hell did you get into this college?" A surprised Kiba looked at the beaming blue-eyed blonde who had walked into the room that he was going to be sharing with Neji.

"What the hell Kiba?" Naruto closed the door quickly, "You want everyone to hear you? What if a cute girl was passing by?"

"If she went at out high school then I'm sure she knows that you are a clown, just like everybody else." Kiba said with a smile on his face, just as Naruto slept on his bed.

"Oh shut up." Naruto retorted, "Sup, Neji?" he said to the quiet Hyuga on the other side of the room. Neji just looked at Naruto and turned without even a word.

"Still the quiet serial killer type I see." Naruto teased, "Hey, Kiba you're being a crappy host. This is the part where you offer me a drink."

"Don't tell me what to do." Kiba said as he got out a football and threw it in the air before catching it.

"I see you still think you will be a pro football player." Naruto looked at the brown haired boy and a huge smile formed on his face.

"I see you are still a giant douche."

"Jerk!" Naruto said.

"Dumb ass!"

"Is this really what my college life is going to be like?" Neji shook his head from where he was sleeping on his side of the room, "listening to endless bantering and chatter from losers."

"Stop acting so cool, Hyuga." Kiba said as he pushed Naruto off the bed, "Get off!"

Naruto dropped to the floor on his butt and he flinched.

"Hey watch it. Not cool Kiba" Naruto said as he got up and rubbed his butt, "this is my best feature."

"Well, you were getting too comfortable, so don't blame me."

"Uggh" Neji said as he looked at the pair and then without a second look, he walked out of the room.

"What's his problem?" Naruto asked as he moved over to the bed that Neji had just vacated.

"The usual…a giant stick up his ass. Thinking he is better than everyone. So maybe not the best idea to be lying on his bed." Kiba said as he started throwing the football in the air and then catching it.

"I am not going to sit on the cold floor when there is a bed right here."

"Your funeral." Kiba laughed and continued playing with his football. "So who is your roommate anyway?"

"No idea. I just hope it isn't some creep who will be watching me sleep." Naruto said. In actual sense, he would be happy with anyone. Naruto wasn't picky when it came to friends.

"Like that can ever happen." Kiba laughed.

Naruto ended up laughing too. "It's college. Stranger things have happened."

"So are you going to that party everyone is talking about?"

"Obviously. I mean, who do you think you are talking to?" Naruto replied.

_Fresher's bash._

The dance music was loud enough to be heard from the other side of the campus and students were drinking and dancing everywhere that Sakura turned. There were some daring people making out in plain view of everyone and some who had the decency to do it in dark corners. There was one particular couple that stuck out in Sakura's mind. The guy had the girl pinned against the cold wall with his calloused hand holding her lifted thigh. The sight of the girls face as the guy touched her breast made Sakura blush.

"You are seriously embarrassing me, forehead." Ino said as she walked beside the pink haired girl.

"What?" Sakura looked genuinely confused.

"What are you wearing?" she almost gagged when she looked at Sakura's outfit.

The blonde was in a mid-thigh high, blue flared skirt, a push up bra underneath her skintight top that made her cleavage look like every teenage boy's wet dream with black ankle boots and her hair worn silky straight. Sakura, on the other hand had opted for blue jeans, a white tank top and black pumps. Her pink hair was combed back with a red headband in it.

"Hey, you should just be glad I decided to come with you to this thing, pig." She got out her phone from her front pocket and put in on _vibrate. _"Besides, I am confident enough in my personality and wit that I don't need to show off my legs to be liked."

"Right, because the guys here care about that kind of stuff." Ino scoffed. "I mean at parties, hot guys always walk towards a boring looking girl and say '_hey miss personality, I saw your wit from across the room and I just had to come and say hi. Wanna dance?_' yes that always happens."

"Oh shut up, queen slut!" Sakura said. "Some of us can still fell happy and complete even without a man in our life." But deep down Sakura knew that Ino had a point.

Sakura however, wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She had liked one guy ever since kindergarten and when she finally confessed to him in middle school, he had rejected her like the loser he probably thought she was.

Thinking about that made her blood boil.

_Curse him and his good looks. _She thought.

"Hey, Pinkette!' Ino was snapping her finger in front of her. "Earth to Forehead."

"What? Gosh, you are so annoying."

"I am not the one spacing out at a party." Ino answered back, "Anyway I was saying I'm going to look for a hot guy who will be getting me drinks. See you back at the dorm."

Sakura reached for Ino's hand "What?" she couldn't believe her ears.

"You are not going to leave me alone in this crowd." Sakura pleaded.

"Stop being weird and live a little." The blonde grabbed a red cup of beer from a boy nearby and smiled then winked, "here." She handed it to Sakura.

"No!" her response was firm.

"Take risks and have fun." Ino put the cup in the pink haired girl's hands and walked away.

"Ino, what the hell?!"

"See you back at the room!" the blonde called back and disappeared in the crowd of dancing and drinking students.

"This is not happening…this is not happening." Sakura kept muttering to herself, "That slutty pig, I will kill her. This is not happening."

Sakura decided then and there that she was going back to her room. This scene was not her type of thing. She felt as uncomfortable as a devout nun in a male strip club.

"I never should have listened to that blonde haired betrayer." Sakura almost cursed as she turned and bumped her head in a hard _wall._

The drink in her hand spilled all over her white tank top and only made her look like the loser of a wet tee shirt contest.

She almost fell to the floor as she staggered for balance. The _wall _stilled her movement and prevented her from falling butt first, in an embarrassing heap, to the ground. Her nose was buried in the _wall _and she took it its scent.

_Damn._

Sakura reached up to get more support and only ended up placing them on the most toned arms she had ever had the pleasure of touching. And yes it was a pleasure.

This was no _wall._

This was a gym-going, amazing bicep-having, fall-stopping specimen of man. Not only did he feel good to touch but he smelt good too-despite the sweat and beer stench of the party. His smell intoxicated Sakura and she felt shame for thinking such dirty thoughts.

When she was sure that she was steady. She lifted her head so that she could voice her apology. What she found staring back at her made her heart jump in her chest and her breathing quickened.

She set her eyes upon familiar long, unruly raven hair that framed the even more familiar handsome face. Her emerald eyes connected with his stygian orbs that just drew Sakura in the more she looked into them.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Sakura said breathlessly as she felt her knees turn to jelly.

The raven looked at her straight on and then smirked.

_This is not happening. _Sakura felt the world spin. _This is so not happening._

_xoxo_

**Author's Note: **Well that's it for chapter one. Review, follow, PM. Feedback would be nice.

_**Tell me what you think…**_


	2. I didn't catch your name

On the list of unlikely and impossible things to happen, Sakura would have put running into the black eyed Uchiha at that exact moment on number 1. Ino shopping from _Goodwill _would have been a distant second.

The sound of the dance music and chatter was muted in Sakura's ears; the smell of beer was lost. All she saw, all she smelt, all she was aware of was Sasuke and his warm hands on her bare arms…steading her, supporting her.

As the jade eyed girl looked further and deeper into the dark pools that were Sasuke Uchiha's, as her senses picked up on the devilish smirk on his gorgeous face, all the feelings she had spent her time trying to erase after he disappeared without a trace came rushing back like a whirlwind of suppressed emotion.

They overwhelmed her and made it hard for her to breathe.

She parted her cherry flavoured lips and took in the much need oxygen that her lungs desperately craved. Her heart was beating so fast that she could have sworn that it could be seen through her wet white tank top. The butterflies in her stomach multiplied and her legs couldn't support her.

"Whoa, are you okay?" the raven haired boy said as he tried to prevent her from falling, "How much have you drunk?" His voice was still as beautiful and as calm as she remembered, except this time it was laced with something else, something raw and wild-sex appeal.

Sakura willed her body to listen to her. This was not how she wanted to be seen. This was not the image she wanted him to have in his mind forever. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I-I'm okay." Sakura said as she mustered all her strength to stand up tall and proud. His hands were still holding on to her arms and they sent a jolt of electricity and heat through her body. She took another deep breath.

"I don't even drink alcohol by the way." She confessed.

The devilishly handsome guy in front of her looked at her beer-soaked top and the red cup that had dropped to her feet and the corner of his lips lifted. He raised his eyebrow and then stared deep into her sea green eyes.

"Right." He said, clearly not believing her.

"It's true, I don't. I didn't even want to come to this party. It's so loud and there are people having sex in corners and the whole situation isn't my thing. My roommate kind of forced me and said if I remained boring I wouldn't have any friends. She told me I needed to have some fun but to be honest this is not even my type of fun." Why was she telling him all this? Why was she rumbling like a total retard? Why was her mouth still moving? Was this the kind of effect he had on her?

"I would rather be in my room watching an action movie or something or read a book. But I wanted to prove to her and to myself that I can adapt. That I can change. She is so annoying sometimes, I just can't stand her but I somehow still found myself here-"

Sasuke was looking at her intently as she went on and on and on. Then he just lifted his hand and placed a finger to her lips. "Breathe."

As soon as his finger touched her soft lips, Sakura stilled and her mouth stopped moving.

This was not going well.

"Sasuke, what the hell?" came a voice from behind him and when Sakura looked past his shoulder she saw three people make their way to where she and Sasuke stood. "How do you just walk off like that?" The boy with white shoulder length hair and purple eyes finished.

The trio finally stopped as they reached Sasuke's side. Accompanying the white haired boy were a red haired girl dressed like she was about to audition for a role as a stripper and a quiet looking buff boy with fiery orange hair. Sakura didn't know any one of them.

The girl smiled at Sakura and then she seductively linked her arm with Sasuke's as soon as she was by his side. She placed her hand on his chest as she moved so close to him, Sakura couldn't tell where the red head ended and Sasuke began.

"Sasuke, don't leave me again. This party is so boring when you aren't by my side." She rubbed her body against his as she spoke and seeing this display made Sakura want to hurl.

She had not expected him to be single. That was as silly as it was impossible. The guy was beyond hot; he could have a pick of any girl he wanted. Sakura just didn't want to be exposed to the gross public display of affection.

"So, who's the girl?" the red head asked as she looked Sakura over from head to toe.

Sakura smiled at them all as she waited for him to explain that they were old friends.

"I have no idea. I didn't catch her name." Sasuke said and Sakura's heart dropped down to her feet.

_What? Did I just imagine what he just said?_

She had recognized him the second her eyes had seen him. How could he not know her?

"Okay then," the purple eyed one said as he moved closer to a still bewildered Sakura, "I'm Suigetsu." He said, offering her his hand.

Sakura was still frozen in place but she somehow managed to raise her hand, "I-I'm Sakura." She switched her attention to the raven and hoped her name would trigger some response but his expression didn't even change.

"Sweet name." Suigetsu said, "The quiet one there is Jugo and that slut is called Karin." He smiled at the last part.

"Who are you calling a slut, you douche?" Karin's eye twitched in annoyance. "Sasuke did you hear what he just called me?"

"Okay fine, bitch then." Suigetsu corrected as he stuck out his tongue.

"Why you little-"

Sakura kept on looking at the Uchiha, she was oblivious to everything else. She just couldn't believe he couldn't remember her. Her hair was pink for God's sake and that had to make her memorable, right? Not to mention she had confessed her feelings to him when they were growing up. How could he not remember her?

She had to admit though, despite it all, she found herself still attracted to him. She loved his new look- the black slacks, grey tee, an expensive looking leather jacket. The guy looked hot.

No wonder he had forgotten about her. She looked so plain, it was sad.

"This party sucks!" Karin said, "Let's get out of here and go have some real fun."

Karin started pulling Sasuke away and Sakura just looked on. So he had just bumped into her life again just so he could leave with another woman.

Great. Just great.

Jugo started walking after them but Suigetsu stood where he was. He glared at Karin and then smiled at Sakura.

"It was nice meeting you, Sakura." He said, and the pink haired girl could only nod back.

Suigetsu walked away and Sakura was left standing and looking after them. Her heart being stomped on with each step that Sasuke took away from her.

"OMG, did you see the size of that girl's forehead?" Sakura could hear Karin say despite the music. "I thought an alien was going to pop out of that thing." The red head laughed.

Sakura had to get out of there. Her top clung to her chest and she smelt of cheap beer. Not to mention that the one boy she had ever had feelings for just treated her like a stranger.

Where had he been all this time? Why had he changed so much?

Her phone vibrated in her jeans and she got it out. It was a text from Ino.

'_Forehead, having fun yet?'_

If by 'fun', Ino meant 'so confused and pissed off that she just wanted to dig a whole and bury herself in it forever', then yes, she was having fun.

Sakura quickly typed her reply and pressed the send button.

"_No! I'm not. I am leaving."_

~xoxo~

Naruto was striking out with each girl he tried to talk to. Between his goofy smiles, clumsy persona, retarded dance moves and the orange coat he wore, most girls were walking away from him before he even uttered a word.

"I have money!" He shouted out to the girl who was walking away like he had Ebola or something.

"Hahahahaha." Kiba's laugh reached the blondes ears, "they are college girls, not hookers you clueless soul."

"Shut up!" Naruto replied, "This is harder than it looks."

"For you, maybe." Kiba said, "Watch this."

He spotted a blonde girl at a distance dancing and gyrating her hips to the sound of the music and Kiba smiled. He walked towards her until he got so close and "accidentally" bumped into her.

"Oh crap! I am so sorry." Kiba said, "I really should watch where I am going."

"It's okay" The girl looked at him, "It happens."

Kiba kept looking at her face wide eyed and acted like he couldn't hear a word she was saying.

"Is something wrong?" she touched her face self-consciously, "is there something on my face?"

"No-no." Kiba reassured her, "I am so sorry for staring; it's just that you are gorgeous. I was just stunned for a while." He said.

"oh." Her response came. "Thanks"

"For a second, I was convinced I had run into an angel."

The blonde laughed out loud, "Dude, seriously?"

Kiba scratched the back of his neck and then gave her a boyish smile, "Too much?"

"Yeah, like if corny and cheesy had a baby."

Kiba laughed, "You can't blame a guy for trying."

"No, I guess you can't." she smiled.

"I'm Kiba by the way." He offered her his hand.

With a smile on her face, she took his hand in hers, "Suzuki."

"It was nice bumping into and being corny for you, Suzuki."

She laughed and let go of his hand.

Kiba tipped his head and then started walking away. In his mind he started counting down from five.

5…4…3…2…

"Hey, Kiba." The blonde called him.

He stopped walking, a grin on his face and then relaxed his lips as he looked at her.

"Do you wanna hang out sometime?" She asked.

"I would like that." He walked back to where she stood; a smiling forming on his somewhat handsome face.

"Great!" She got out her phone and showed him the screen, "this is my number."

Kiba took it down in his own phone and promised her he would call. He gave her one last smile and then walked away.

Piece of cake.

He saw Naruto staring at him as he walked back. Kiba stuck out his tongue and then laughed.

Naruto just raised his middle finger and prepared to walk away. This party was a major bore anyway. As he turned he saw something his eyes couldn't believe.

No, his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He was sure of what he just saw.

Wasting no time at all he rushed to the thing that had gotten his attention. He reached out and pulled at the leather jacket, spinning the wearer roughly.

"What the f-?" the guy in the jacket said and was then cut off when he saw the blonde who was holding on to his arm.

"You bastard! Where the hell have you been?" Naruto couldn't contain his anger.

It had been years since he saw the Uchiha who now stood in front of him. He completely ignored the other three people that were standing with Sasuke. In Naruto's eyes, they just didn't exist. All he cared about in that moment was the best friend who had walked out of his life without so much as a goodbye or explanation.

"First of all, get your hands off of my jacket, dick!" Sasuke said, "And second of all, what business is it of yours? Where I have been is no concern of yours."

"Like hell, it isn't, you inconsiderate jerk!" Naruto shouted. "You just pack your shit and leave town, no phone call, no note and you expect me to just be fine with it. Who does that?"

"What are you, my wife?" Sasuke asked.

"Screw you!" Naruto retorted, "I thought we were best friends."

"Best friends?" he gave a dry laugh. "When the fuck did that happen? Stop bugging me!"

Naruto recoiled back a bit. What had happened to the boy he knew? Sure even when they were _friends,_ all they did most of the time was bicker and exchange punches but according to Naruto they were still close. Close enough to deserve a goodbye when one decided to skip town. Close enough to, yes, be called friends.

Naruto looked at the black haired boy he considered his friend and felt like he was staring at a stranger. He looked like Sasuke but it didn't feel like it.

"Um, Sasuke…who's the blonde loser?" the girl by Sasuke's side asked and Naruto immediately couldn't stand her. So, yeah her hair reminded Naruto of his mother but he still couldn't stand her.

He hated it when people butted into stuff they didn't understand.

"Not now, Karin." Sasuke raised his hand to indicate that she stop.

At least that made Naruto happy. So maybe the raven haired jerk wasn't too far gone after all.

"Let's just get out of here." Sasuke said.

"Not so fast!" Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm intent on making him explain just what had happened to him.

Sasuke broke free of Naruto's grip and shoved him away. "Back off,"

Naruto went stumbling back was caught by Kiba just when he was about to fall to the ground.

"Hey, Naruto are you okay?" Kiba asked. Concern laced his voice.

"You bastard!" Naruto swore as he prepared to punch his ex-best friend but Kiba held on to him and prevented this from happening. "Let me at him!" Naruto tried to break free.

His blue eyes connected with obsidian ones. The two shared a look that thinned the air around them and sent a chill down the other four people present.

"Whoa, calm down!" Kiba finally faced the guy who had pushed Naruto and his eyes widened. "Sasuke?"

Kiba couldn't hide his shock and Naruto knew how he felt.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Sasuke answered, "Just stay out of my way…both of you."

"That's not gonna happen, bastard." Naruto said.

"Then you are a fool." A flat voice came, "Let's go." Sasuke walked away.

Naruto tried to follow after him and his gang but Kiba held on, stopping his movements.

"Just let him go, Naruto."

"Damn it!" Naruto ran his hands in his hair and he felt his blood boil.

That inconsiderate bastard had actually returned and hadn't mentioned anything. It was bad enough that he hadn't called or written in the years he was gone, but to come back and expect to just be let go…that was another form of low. He was going to get it. Naruto promised to get some answers.

Where the hell had he gone off to all this time and why in the name of fuck had he just disappeared?

Naruto decided he had enough of this party. He wanted to go back to his room. When he had left for the party, his roommate had still not shown up. He guessed he would be in by the following day. Naruto just hoped it would be someone whose personality was live enough to help him forget his anger towards Sasuke.

~xoxo~

_Sakura and Ino's room._

Sakura had returned to her dorm room, taken off the beer-drenched top and had taken a quick shower. Her mind was still over thinking the whole Sasuke situation.

She lay in her bed, the sheets warming her, and hugging her pillow close to her body. This was not how she planned on spending her college years.

There was a time in her life when she was convinced that she loved him. There was a time when she remembered doodling hearts and his name in her diary. Fantasizing and dreaming about him. She had stopped herself from thinking of those memories, however, the second he disappeared out of her life.

She never imagined that she would ever see him again.

As he was now, she wasn't even sure if she loved him still or not. Those dark pools that had stared back at her at that party had looked foreign. They seemed somehow cold; empty.

Was that really the Sasuke she had been in love with?

Sakura heard the door handle turn and she lifted her head to see a drunken Ino stumbling in.

"Saks, I had…such a great time." The blonde said then laughed hysterically. "I met…someone, but he is playing hard to get." She slumped on her bed and burped.

Another laugh escaped her, "Excuse me."

"Wow, now the name _Pig _will have a new meaning whenever I refer it to you." Sakura said as she sat up. "Gross."

"Oh, shut it. It happens." Ino looked at the pink haired girl, "What's wrong…with you?"

"I ran into Sasuke." Sakura said truthfully, no hesitation. Why hide it?

Laughed erupted from the drunken Ino, "Very funny." She said as she fell backwards on her soft bed. "That's a good one Forehead. How much did you have to drink?"

"I'm not kidding, I ran into him at the party."

Sakura had never seen words have sobering effects on anyone before, but in that moment she saw it. Ino got abruptly lifted herself up, got off the bed and walked to Sakura. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked deep into Sakura's eyes.

"Tell me everything."

Sakura sighed.

This was going to be a long night.

~xoxo~

_Somewhere on campus._

The cold Konoha campus air touched Sasuke's face as he sat under a large tree on a bench near the healthy green lawn. The leaves blew in the air as the cold breeze passed. Sasuke could still hear the music from where he sat signalling that the party was still going on.

Suigetsu and Jugo had finally retired for the night and had headed back to their dorm rooms. Karin, however, was still by Sasuke's side. The girl clung to him like gum at the bottom of his shoe.

Sasuke had pictured going back to his home town a hundred times since he left all those years ago. He had imagined how the people he left behind would react to his return. He had prepared himself if he ever did the unthinkable and actually came back. Still none of his preparations or resolve to be cruel had helped him when he needed it the most-coming face to face with his past.

Seeing them all had awoken feelings in him he didn't even know he still had. Sasuke did not like it. To be honest, he hated it. He hated feelings. He hated caring. He hated everything that being back here brought up. Being numb and acting cold was who he was, or at least who he tried to be.

Caring only bred pain.

The brooding Uchiha had become even quieter than when he had left the blonde back at the party. There were so many thoughts going through his mind that he felt like he had just screwed himself by returning.

What a fucked up situation he had gotten himself in. Why did he have to return?

He needed another drink. Something stronger than the cheap beer he had sampled at that lame ass party. He needed something that would put him in a stupor.

The girl by his side was rubbing herself on him and Sasuke wasn't in the mood-Especially now that another was flooding his thoughts. He knew Karin was not stupid. She probably sensed that something was bothering him. Despite it all, she still held on to him. She still ground herself against his body and moved even closer.

"For fuck's sake!" he cursed and moved away from her, getting up from the bench and putting one hand in his pocket.

"Are you okay?" Karin asked.

"Yes." He lied. What was the point of telling her when he also didn't understand it himself. "I'm leaving."

"Can I come with you?" Karin gave him an inviting smile. She got up from the cold hard bench and hugged herself as the chilly night air touched her skin.

Why had she worn such a thing anyway? Sasuke thought. He looked at her skin tight, purple boob tube dress that was so short, if she bent down her underwear could be seen, if she even wore any. The things girls would wear for attention…or more accurately, not wear.

He thought about what she wanted from him and his decision was final. There were no two ways about it. He was sure of what he wanted that moment and it wasn't Karin.

"No. Go to your room." He took off his jacket and handed it to her, "Here."

A devious smile formed on the girl's face. "Seriously, I can come with you, I'm sure your roommate wouldn't mind." Karin pushed herself against him and traced her hands on along his arms. "I will make it worth your while."

Sasuke grabbed hold of her and stilled her movements. He looked her straight in the eye, unyielding, and moved away from her.

"Go, Karin." he said. His voice was icy and low.

Karin's face dropped in disappointment. Sasuke didn't care about that. He just needed to get out of this place. The next week before classes started would be awkward, he knew it. He dreaded it.

Why had he agreed to return?

He placed his hands in his pockets and started walking away. He was relieved when he didn't hear footsteps follow him behind. Sasuke knew, probably more than anyone else, how Karin was when she wanted something.

In that moment though, he didn't want to concern himself with want she wanted or expected from him. He had more disturbing thoughts, more pressing matters.

Sasuke looked up at the starry sky, even with all the lights on campus, it was still good to look at. It looked beautiful. It reminded him of-

"What the hell?" he said to himself.

He cursed himself for the thoughts he was having. Now wasn't the time to be acting like a huge fucking vagina. That wasn't the kind of person he was.

Admiring the sky? Give me a freaking break.

Nothing a good night's rest wouldn't fix though or better yet, a bottle of Jack. Being back in this environment might just as well push him towards being an alcoholic. Curse his brother for dragging him back.

What the hell had he gotten himself into anyway? Had he made the right decision coming back here? He could just as easily have said no. He did, after all, ignore his whole family for years. Why didn't he do it this time as well?

Crap.

And then there was _her. _

He knew seeing _her _would get to him. He just didn't think it would affect him this much. She hadn't changed at all…it had unnerved him even though he acted indifferent and had played it cool. Pretending he didn't know _her_ had come as a shock to him too.

Why he did it? He couldn't for the life in him explain it either.

~xoxo~

**THANKS **for the follows, faves and especially reviews (I love me some feedback…do continue reviewing.). I am still learning how to write romantic fics though, so this journey might get bumpy lol. **But stick around**, you might just enjoy yourself .

**Author's Note: So, I know it is moving a bit slow but it will pick up by chapter 3…hang in there. I have some big plans for this story, hope you follow and review as we get to know each other. If anyone seems OOC, do let me know (especially Sasuke, he was tricky to pin down…I never know what he is thinking.)**

Tell me what you thought of this chapter.

-xoxo

13


	3. Ass' is too good a word to describe you

Sakura sleepily reached for the buzzing phone and willed herself to wake the hell up. Last night had sucked but she wasn't going to let it get her down.

She grabbed for the phone near her pillow. It wasn't her phone that was buzzing.

"Morning, Forehead." Ino's overly enthusiastic voice reached the still sleepy girl's ears.

"Mmh." Was the best Sakura managed to say as she desperately wished to fall back to sleep, half her face still squished and buried in her soft pillow. She didn't even want to think of the puffiness of her face or the ridiculous bed hair she was donning.

How was Ino so cheery this early in the morning? Shouldn't she be in bed nursing a hangover or something? The blonde looked as perky as a Barbie doll and just as annoying.

What time had she gotten up even? Sakura wondered. Through her droopy and heavy eyes she could see that Ino had already showered and dressed up like a runway model. A black and white Bodycon dress clung to her body and her feet were covered in red heels.

Oh come on, looking that good this early in the morning had to be some kind of sin, right? Or at the very least, a crime against humanity. It just didn't seem fair.

"Forehead, stop being a lazy bum. Rise and shine, it's already past 7."

Sakura pulled the sheets higher and covered her whole head. Class hadn't started yet. Why, in the name of lazy bed potatoes, should she be waking up early? It didn't make her happy. It didn't make her shine at all, if she was being honest she felt more like a troll than a beautiful flower rising and shinning. Sakura will never understand morning people, in her mind they seemed like aliens to her. What normal person wouldn't enjoy sleeping in?

These kind of days should be savored. They should be spent lazing around in bed with a phone in hand while you stalked people online. They should be spent doing nothing constructive…at all. Waking up before 7 should have been decreed illegal. It wasn't normal.

"Ahh..." Sakura groaned under the thick duvet.

"So get this," Ino started speaking, sitting by her roommate's bed and ignoring her protests of making a conversation, "Kiba just texted me saying Naruto also made it into college. Can you believe it? Doesn't this dump have any standards at all?" she laughed when she realized what she had just asked.

"Who am I kidding? Of course it doesn't."

Sakura uncovered herself and felt the first glimmer of hope in this place since Ino had showed up at her door. She liked the idea of Naruto being in college with her. He was one of the few guys in high school who never judged her or made fun of her. She would have liked to see him.

She rubbed her eyes and forced the sleep out of them. "What's his room number?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Eww. How the hell should I know?" Ino looked at her like she had somehow sprouted a second head.

"Ask Kiba, you daft bimbo. Duh."

"Oh. Yeah." She smiled. "And don't call me a bimbo. If you are going to call me any 'B' word, it should be 'beautiful'."

Sakura sighed. Oh bitch. She thought to herself.

Sakura hauled herself out of bed deciding it was a good idea to pay her old friend a visit. She stretched her body as soon as her feet touched the cold floor. She felt excited about seeing the blonde. A smile formed on her face as an image of his stupid grin crossed her mind.

"What are you smiling about? Please don't tell me you like Naruto." Ino's face pinched.

"A guy and a girl can just be friends, you know." She ignored Ino's raised brows. "It happens."

"Yeah, if the girl looks like Shrek and the guy is a total clown."

"Who are you calling Shrek?" Sakura stood, upset, in her pink shorts and red camisole.

Ino laughed out loud. "Cool, down. Why are you acting all guilty? I didn't mention any names."

Sakura walked to her closet and picked out the most casual outfit she could grab.

"He's in room K2-7. Kiba says it's on the second floor of K-block." Ino said after a buzz was heard.

"Thanks."

"Though, why you want to see that guy, I don't know."

"You are not supposed to know everything, pig. Gosh." Sakura answered back, "I'm going to take a shower.

Sakura's mind was made up. She was going to hang out with Naruto and avoid ever running into Sasuke. That sounded simple enough. Naruto came with positive energy, while Sasuke came with energy as dark and as dangerous as his eyes.

"So, did last night really happen?" the blonde asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we going to act like you didn't just tell me you ran into Sasuke?"

Wow. She just had to bring it up. This was exactly what Sakura didn't want.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about him ever again. I liked him; he walked out of my life. I saw him last night, he doesn't remember me. I will stay out of his path. We shall never meet. What more is left to talk about or think about, Ino?"

"I still can't believe he doesn't remember you." Ino acted caring but the corner of her lip twitched.

"Can we just drop it?"

"Sure. I wouldn't wanna talk about it either if the love of my life didn't know my name."

"When will you stop being such a bitch?" Sakura couldn't believe the blonde was enjoying this.

"A bitch?" Ino laughed, "It's called being frank, Forehead."

"Oh yeah? Cool. Then if we are being frank I have to tell you there is a zit the size of a tomato on your forehead."

"Ha. No there isn't." Ino sounded panicky. She grabbed her purse and pulled out a mirror. Screams filled the room once Ino confirmed it and Sakura's lip twitched.

So maybe there was Karma after all. Take that Ino.

~xoxo~

Walking in the corridors of the male dormitories, Sakura made her way to room K2-7. She reached the door and knocked, then stepped back and smoothed her hair.

_What am I doing? Did I just fix my hair for that blonde goof? No matter, there is nothing weird about a girl wanting to appear presentable all the time, right? _

Heavy footsteps came from the other side, and then the door was swinging open and Sakura found herself staring at a very broad, well-muscled chest.

A naked chest.

Damn.

The smell of his shampoo reached Sakura's nose. From the looks and smell of it, he was just from taking a shower. He had a white towel covering his head and face, one hand rubbing the towel to his head, trying to dry the wetness out.

Her wondering gaze dropped and her breath caught. Jeans hung low on his hips, revealing a thin line of dark hair that formed below his navel and disappeared under the band of the jeans. Sakura swallowed hard.

This was definitely NOT Naruto.

His stomach was ripped. Amazing. A total eye-fest. Not the kind of stomach she expected to ever seen on a college boy, not that she even knew how college boy's chests looked like, but she guessed they were scrawny and boring. What she was looking at, however, was far from boring. It excited her. She could get lost in that sight. She didn't care. She loved how it made her feel. She welcomed it actually.

But this was getting weird. She wasn't talking. She wasn't moving. And she was staring.

Her gaze finally made its way up again. He had removed the towel from his head and Sakura got a full view of his face. Her eyes widened.

Sasuke!

Of all the people in the world, how is it the one guy she wanted to keep away from happened to be the roommate to the one guy she wanted to hang out with? And why, for the love of gushing girls everywhere, did he look so hot without a shirt on?

Perfect, kissable lips turned down in irritation. Sakura noticed that the bottom one was cut and bruised. Looking down at his knuckles she saw that they too were bruised. A careful look at his chest revealed to Sakura what her eyes had missed while she had been gapping at him like a thirst dog. The telltale faint, blue and black marks could be seen on some parts of his chest. Had he been in a fight since the last time she saw him? If he was like this, just how badly beaten up was the other guy? If at all he even lived.

She wanted to ask but her voice was failing her. She was mute and as the seconds dragged on, she cursed herself for acting so lame.

_Say something. Come on, don't just stand here staring like a retard. Stupid mouth, move!_

Sakura's mind had already turned to mush by then. Between the chest she had just stared at and the dark eyes she was now lost in, she found herself unable to say a damn thing.

Vocabulary? Language? What the hell was that? She felt like a newborn, unable to form coherent sentences, unable to communicate in nothing more than staring.

"Yes?" he said, placing one hand on the doorframe as he leaned forward.

_This is not happening. Move you stupid mouth._

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back. A surge of embarrassment heated her face.

_Well it can't get worse from here, can it? _And she had actually thought him not remembering her was the worst thing to have happened to her. Well, so much for that.

Sasuke lifted an arm, brushing back a wavy lock of wet hair on his forehead. He looked at her one last time and then started closing the door in her face. "Okay, then…"

She gained some composure or at least something that remotely resembled it.

By the time her stupid voice wanted to come out and save the day, Sakura wanted to be swallowed up by a shark or sink into the oblivion that only quick sand can bring. "I…I came to see Naruto." The flood gates had been opened. Woe to anyone who was in hearing distance.

"Ino, my roommate got a text from Kiba this morning. Kiba told her that his roommate was Neji but that Naruto's roommate still hadn't shown up. I thought it would be nice if I dropped by, like a sort of room-warming thing. So that's how I asked for the room number, you see. I haven't seen him in months and so I decided to come pay him a quick visit. We went to high school together-Me and Naruto." She dished out more useless information, like a wordy idiot. "So, yeah I'm here to see Naruto. I walked—"

"I see." He said. His voice flat, almost uncaring. No, it was undeniably uncaring.

"Well, I walked all this way to see him, so can you let me in or at least tell him I'm here."

"Naruto?"

It didn't sound at all as though he was asking a question, but Sakura being who she was, opened her mouth and rushed to answer it anyway. So, it turned out there were only two types of Sakura when Sasuke was involved-the mute, staring creep and the rambling weirdo.

Great. Just great.

"Yes, Naruto. You see, like I said we are old friends and—"

Sasuke said nothing, he just angled a brow with disdain. "Okay."

Sakura's earlier emotions were slowly fading, replaced by a growing rush of anger. "Well, I need to see—"

"Naruto. I got that." He leaned his hip against the doorframe and crossed his arms. The towel draped on his shoulder, some of his wet hair clinging to his face. Something flickered in his black eyes. Sakura couldn't tell what it was.

Sakura took a deep breath. She didn't appreciate him cutting her off every time she spoke. And she definitely didn't appreciate his superiority complex. Why wasn't he letting her in already?

She didn't let him get to her too much though. She smiled at him and said in a sweet voice. "I'd like to see Naruto, so, tell him I'm here."

He pushed the door wide open and stood by the side, showing Sakura that not only was he the only one in the room but that she had been wasting her time with all the endless talking.

"Oh." Was all she could manage saying. What else could she say? Sorry for staring at your chest? Sorry for acting like I have word diarrhea? Gross. She was definitely not going to say that.

In that moment he raised both eyebrows practically to his hairline. Sakura could tell what he was thinking or at least guess because, if she was being honest, no one could ever tell what the quiet Uchiha was thinking. He was probably asking not only himself but her as well, just how she could be so thick, and that's when Sakura realized what she saw sparkling in his eyes earlier. She didn't understand it then, but now it was as clear as day. He was looking at her with… condescension. The smug bastard was looking down on her and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

Curses!

For an instant, all she could do was stare at him. He wasn't the Sasuke she remembered, that was for sure, but he was still probably the hottest guy she'd ever seen in her life, and he was a total jerk. No surprise there. All the hot ones usually were. "You know what? All I wanted was to see an old friend. You could have easily have told me he wasn't around, without being belittling. You could have been…I don't know…nice"

One side of his lips curled up. "Nice?"

"You know? That thing human beings are to each other when they act polite, kind and friendly. You probably wouldn't know." She said.

His eyebrow arched once more. She was seriously starting to hate that brow. How had she ever fallen for this jerk? Except he wasn't always a jerk. Why was she saying so much and him so little?

"You should try it. It never hurt anybody." She didn't really have to add that last part but she still let it leave her mouth.

"Hn." He blinked.

He didn't even bother forming sentences. What, was his voice like super valuable that hearing it was only reserved for royalty and gods?

He was seriously getting on Sakura's nerves. His black eyes were looking at her like she was…below him. She didn't want it to get to her but it did. He was treating her like she was brown gum beneath his favourite shoe. Sakura wanted nothing more than to smack that superior act right out of him. The less he said, the more it upset her.

"Is that all?" he cocked his head.

Wow. What the hell was his problem? Everything about him oozed superciliousness. Her blood boiled over.

"Yeah, wow. Tell Naruto I dropped by. I won't be coming around here ever again. If I never see you again, it will doubtlessly be too soon." She started to turn, leaving before he said or rather not say anything and she ended up slapping his smug face. Though knowing her, she knew she would probably just cry or stare back in anger.

"Hey," he called out.

Sakura stopped one room away but she didn't turn around. She didn't want him to see just how upset he had gotten her. "What?"

"The fool mentioned something about some girl called Hinabi…Hibata or something like that." Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh, almost like he was throwing her a bone or doing her the biggest favor in the world. "He might be there"

And he talks. Shocker.

"Thanks," She murmured and added under her breath, "Ass."

"Charming."

She whipped around and snapped. "What the hell happened to you?"

Sakura could see in his eyes that he was done with this conversation. He didn't even attempt to try and say more than two sentences. Is that how little he thought of her? Was it so hard to act like a normal human being and actually communicate without all the scowling?

He prepared to close the door. So that was it, huh? More detachment from him? Did he care about anything…at all?

Okay. That was it. She hated him. This wasn't the Sasuke she remembered. This guy was kind of an asshole. A total jerk. Sakura was certain that if she googled the word 'indifferent', his pictured would show up.

"You know something? Ass is too nice a word for you." Sakura said. "You're a dick."

"A Dick?" he repeated, boredom laced his voice.

There he was doing it again. Being cold and uncaring. Sakura wanted to scream out in frustration. Her fists were clenched tightly by her side. She stomped back to his open door to give him a piece of her mind. She wanted to make him feel something…anything, that wasn't aloofness. Was he even capable of smiling? Was he capable of any emotion at all? As he was now, Sakura highly doubted.

Sasuke's head was bent. A mess of wet waves fell forward, nearly obscuring his intense black eyes.

Smirking at her, he slammed the door.

Did he just…did that just…? Yep, the son of a bitch had just slammed the door in her face.

Sakura stomped her feet in annoyance. She hated him.

"Umm…excuse me?" a voice reached Sakura's ears and from the corner of her eyes, before she even turned, she could see the red head from the night before. She was dressed in purple short shorts and a belly showing white tank top.

"Why are you stalking my boyfriend?" Karin questioned, a hand on her hip. "So what, you bump into him one night and you think it's right to just show up at his door?"

"W-what?" Sakura stammered, this was not her day, "Oh no, I came by to see Naruto, an old friend of mine."

The read head folded her arms and looked seriously at Sakura. Sakura wasn't in the mood for a fight and she was definitely not in the mood to fight over a guy as big a jerk as the one behind that door.

"Yeah, I think I'll just go now." Willing her feet to obey her, Sakura turned and started walking away.

Queen bitch and King douchedag deserved each other.

Sakura had enough of this messed up situation. The Sasuke she knew was definitely gone. And from the looks of it, so were the feelings she once had for him.

She got out her phone and sent a text to Ino.

**Uchiha Sasuke is the scum beneath my shoe. I'm starting a 'we hate Sasuke the douche' fan club. You best join it if you ever wanna sleep without one eye open.**

**Your pissed off roomie.**

Her phone buzzed less than a minute later. Ino was a fast texter.

**Lol. Wat happened 2 'we'll neva speak of him'? Count me in tho, forehead. This is gona b fun.**

The idea sounded fun but of course she wasn't really serious. Sending that text had been her way of venting out, a way to cool down a bit. She would have posted it on her Facebook or Twitter but she hated it when people shared stuff that was that serious and personal and there was no way she was going to join the masses.

~xoxo~

Sasuke leaned against the door right after slamming it in Sakura's face. His hair was getting dry and brittle and he didn't want that.

So she had come all the way here to see the blonde ass, huh? Sasuke didn't understand her.

He casually walked to his still unpacked suitcase and got out a plain black tee. Tossed the towel over the closet door and put on the shirt.

A knock sounded again and he groaned in annoyance. What now?

He took his time walking to the door, dragging his feet on the floor and hating every part of it. As soon as the door opened wide, an overly excited Karin jumped into his arms.

Oh come on. Really? It was freaking morning. Why the fuck were all these people thinking it was right to just show up unannounced? He knew agreeing to staying on campus would come and bite him in the ass eventually. He had predicted it going belly up but his devious brother had still made him agree.

And now he had breasts being pressed against his bruised chest. Was there no end to this crap fest?

"Good morning Sasuke." She hugged him tightly. He just stood in place unmoving and wishing to be left alone.

"What are you doing here?" he said as he walked away from her and collapsed on his bed.

"What do you mean? I came to see you of course. You were acting weird last night after we ran into those losers, so here I am checking up on you." Walking over to his bed in slow strides, his eyes where fixed to the ceiling above that he didn't even notice her attempts of enticing him.

"Oh, Sasuke what happened to your lip?" her eyes widened in shock once she saw the bruised lip. She rushed to the edge of the bed and looked at it closely. Her hands on his shoulder.

He touched his lip with his bruised hand and the corner of his mouth curled up. The dumb blonde sure can pack a punch. Last night reminded him just what he had missed out on when he decided to run away all those years ago.

_**Flash back to last night.**_

_Room K2-7. That was the room number going through Sasuke's mind as he drew nearer to the male dormitories. He was totally worn-out. Not just physically but emotionally. _

_He blamed his manipulative brother Itachi for it all. _

_Sasuke reached the door and got his set of keys from his pocket. He was grateful that he hadn't put them in his jacket or it would have been troublesome on so many levels. The light was still on inside, he noted as he looked below the door. His roommate was still up, he imagined. _

_When Sasuke had finally reached campus earlier (some time before the party) and made it to his room, he hadn't found his roommate in. A huge part of him was happy about it._

_He wasn't looking forward to this meeting at all. He didn't like it even one bit-All the forced greetings, trying to be friends and crap. Screw all that. If he could have it his way, Sasuke would have been in a single room. He just hoped his roommate wasn't a morning person, or a vegan. Or one of those people who played loud music at 5 in the morning while they danced around the room in their rubber ducky boxers. That would just be the rotten cherry on the crap cake._

_A gross analogy but that's how he felt._

_The door swung open and standing at attention, anxiously waiting for him to enter, was a beaming blonde boy with blue eyes that made Sasuke think the guy was bathed in sparkles and flowers. It made him sick._

_Shit. _

"_Hi, I'm Naru…to." His voice trailed off and his smile dropped into a frown as he clenched his fists._

"_Of course this happened." Sasuke shook his head as he walked to his bed._

"_What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto fumed._

"_What does it look like dumbass?" his voice sounded bored._

"_If you think I will share a room with you, you are out of your mind."_

"_Ha. Is that so?" Taking off his shoes and kicking them under the bed. He fell front first on the bed and covered his head with a pillow. _

_Sometimes the best way to deal with pests is just to ignore them. Maybe if he just slept and ignored the blonde, he would get the hint._

_Sasuke felt a foot connect with his waist and he was pushed off the bed. _

"_Bastard, don't you dare ignore me!"_

"_What the hell?" the raven snapped, getting off the floor in a jiffy. "Dick move. You shouldn't have done that." He breathed heavily._

_Naruto wasn't fazed. He was going to punch, kick or slap some sense into the jackass his friend had become. _

"_You shouldn't have turned into an ass." Naruto thundered, shoving his roommate once. "You shouldn't have ignored the people who care about you for years."_

"_Touch me again and I will kill you."_

"_Really?" the blonde pushed him back again._

"_I'm warning you asshole." He said, his teeth gritted, the veins on his forehead popping out._

_Naruto gave him his response in the form of a punch straight in Sasuke's gut. "That's for being a douche who doesn't know what goodbye is." Sasuke hunched over in pain but he wasn't going to let the blonde get away with it. _

"_You're dead!" he threatened and that was the only warning Naruto was going to get._

_He straightened and threw a swift fist under Naruto's jaw. Naruto recoiled back but another one came right in his stomach and he groaned._

"_You bastard!" instantly Naruto charged forward, his fists at the ready. Sasuke failed to dodge the punch that came straight for his face. The knuckle sandwich did its work and Sasuke grunted. His lip was cut and blood came out. He thanked his lucky stars that he didn't lose a tooth. The blonde bastard was going to die._

_The raven raised a leg and kicked Naruto in the ribs. But that wasn't the end of it. He threw a punch and it smashed the blonde in the face. He smirked when he thought of the black-eye that would pop-up by morning._

_The pair kicked, punched and dodged each other's attacks. They rolled around on the floor; still punching and trying to knee each other, even biting and hair pulling. In some way, it was like some sort of screwed up therapy session. The more they beat each other up, the more their pent up anger reduced. In some sick way, they were trying to understand each other._

_In the end, they lay on the floor panting and bloody. The only sound in the quiet, trashed room was that of their heavy breathing. Their chests were rising and falling wildly._

"_What the hell happened, Sasuke? Where did you go?" Naruto's breathless voice sounded in the room._

"_Somewhere."_

"_You suck, you know that?"_

"_Hn." Staring at the ceiling and wishing he could open up. But he didn't, he knew what opening the particular can of worms would lead to. He wasn't ready for that. No matter how much he wanted to trust the blonde. "But not nearly as much as you. You haven't changed one bit, have you? Still the giant clown you were. And still believing in silly notions of friendship and being the good guy. You are pathetic."_

"_Well, look who's become chatty. Did I just beat some words into you?"_

"_Bastard, we both know the winner of this fight was me."_

_Naruto laughed, "Really? Tell that to your busted up lip." He held his aching ribs because laughing kind of hurt at the moment._

"_You are one to talk. You look like a blueberry" Sasuke started getting up. He crawled to his bed and rested his back against it, head falling to the soft mattress. _

"_Can we just agree on a draw, then?" Naruto swallowed and he tasted the metallic tang of blood. He passed his tongue in his mouth and smiled when he found all his teeth intact. He couldn't remember the last time he was in a fight that intense._

"_Whatever." His hand wiped the blood from his lip and he flinched. Damn that blonde idiot._

"_I heard about your mom. I'm sorry." Naruto's voice was so low._

"…"_, he didn't know what to respond to that. He heard the sincerity in Naruto's voice and it brought a lump to his throat._

"_You shouldn't have run away man."_

"_What do you know?" Sasuke's asked, trying to desperately ignore his throbbing lip. "Can we not talk anymore?"_

"_Why, is the little bitch baby in pain?" Naruto teased. "Does the little baby want a wowipop?" _

_Sasuke's lip curled, "You are such a douche nozzle."_

"_Ass."_

"_How Original." _

"_Oh shut up," Naruto gave a laugh, "like you have never repeated an insult." _

"_Mmh, let me see," he turned his head back and acted like he was thinking back for such a memory, "nope."_

_A huge grin formed on the blonde's face._

_He placed his hands on his stomach and kept his eyes on the ceiling. He had missed his friend. He wanted to understand why he had left without saying anything. But for now, he would give Sasuke time. When he was ready, he would open up. _

_Naruto would wait._

"_So, that red head looked fine." Naruto finally broke through the silence. "I bet she is a fire cracker in the sheets, huh? Do the drapes match the carpet?"_

"_Sick pervert." Sasuke grabbed a pillow above the bed and tossed it at the unsuspecting blonde, "Just shut up, will you."_

_Naruto laughed and Sasuke had to admit, a part of him had missed the blonde a bit. He was, after all, one of the few people who had tried to be his friend back in middle school. Why the blonde tried so much, Sasuke didn't know. In that moment however, he was glad that Naruto had attempted to break down his walls. _

_His lip hurt like a bitch, but he somehow felt a weight lifted off of him._

"Sasuke…" Karin's voice echoed in his head. Oh goodie…so she was still here.

Sasuke had been so lost in thought, he'd completely forgotten about her. Last night had been one eventful night. That damn Naruto. Why was he so insistent on trying to make him feel things?

Emotions were for the weak. Big boys ignored those irritating things and that was what he planned on doing. Starting now.

"Get out Karin." he turned on the bed and looked away from her.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Are you s-"

"Karin." His voice was firm, the kind of voice that was used to saying things and having them followed, no questions asked.

"Sure, I'll come back later." She hesitated for a moment before lifting herself up. One last look at the hot Uchiha on the bed and she was out of the room.

Sasuke's phone vibrated and a quick look at the text brought a scowl to his face.

For the love of- he breathed. The sound was filled with just the right amount of irritation.

**LITTLE BROTHER…MEET ME AT THE CAFÉ, TOMORROW. YOU KNOW THE DEAL.**

**Your awesome brother.**

Great. And so it began. His brother had really done a fast one on him.

Sneaky bastard.

~xoxo~

**Author's Note: **well that's it for now. I hope you liked it. (Got inspiration from one of my fave books ever.. J)

So yeah, I really want these two (Sasu and saku) to take their time and let their relationship grow naturally (not just based on how yummy his naked chest is lol). I so don't want her to fall for him when he is this big a jackass. And I apologize for Karin (she's a slore, we all hate her), but in the anime he always allowed her to cling to him (God knows why coz I sure as heck don't), so I thought screw it, I will adopt the same idea.

**Endorsements: **So, my first story/author recommendation has to be **ElevatedJewel, **if you guys haven't sampled her work, you best check it out. So amazing. BELIEVE IT! (lol sorry for that, I know I will show myself out). But yeah she's one of my fave author's.

**Anyway, **Tell me what you think of this chapter. **Review**** Honestly please** (I love reading what readers think...even if you are telling me a random thing like you love pineapples or that Blue is the best colour in the world. But yeah I wanna read your thoughts on my work as well)

-xo


	4. Hello, little brother

One can learn a lot in 24 hours and Sakura's mind was overflowing with new discoveries about her new college life. From the second she left the presence of one indifferent and jerk of an Uchiha, up until the time she called it a night, she kept learning new things.

First, college girls are pretty much just like high school girls – just with way more freedom and absolutely no curfew.

Second, you hear more ridiculous nicknames than you ever thought possible. In just her short stay on campus, she had heard people refer to her as, _Pinkete, Saki, Jadette, Pinkie Winkie _and her least favourite so far, _Hello Pussy._ Okay so maybe wearing a hello kitty tank top hadn't been smart on her part.

And third, the one person you want to desperately see and hang out with will somehow always be AWOL. It had been 24 hours and she still hadn't seen Naruto. Though considering his roommate, Sakura couldn't blame Naruto for wanting to keep as far away from campus as possible. She had asked around and found out Hinata's room but the quiet girl hadn't seen him either. Poor girl stuttered and blushed all over the place whenever the blonde was near her; she had almost fainted when Sakura mentioned if Naruto had passed by.

So that was a major bust. None of her texts to him had been delivered. Not even his line was going through. Just awesome. No Naruto and definitely no positive energy. The only thing she had to look forward to now was classes beginning.

Being a doctor was something that she had always wanted to do. She could thank her Aunt Tsunade for that little obsession with medicine. The woman was one inspirational surgeon, saving more lives than Sakura could even keep track of. Just thinking about her always brought a smile to Sakura's face.

While most girls were growing up with Barbie Princesses and _My Little Pony_ toys, Sakura spent her time with her play stethoscope and forced her mom to indulge in her little play doctor games. She found it fascinating and awe inspiring how people could be healed and lives saved if one just used the right techniques and medicines. Ah, modern medicine…it was her drug.

But so far, as she sat on her bed, day two of college and listening to Ino go on and on about some guy who was playing hard to get, Sakura wasn't feeling much like a Doctor to be. She was feeling like an unfortunate victim being forced to endure Diva hell.

_Kill me now._

"So get this," Ino strutted in her heels, how she managed to walk in those things Sakura could only wonder, "I smiled and put my best flirt face on and the guy just walked away from me like I was…well…you or something. Can you believe it?"

Wow, really? Did the blonde even know how to not be offensive?

"Oh no Ino, I can't imagine it…at all." She rolled her eyes.

"I know right? If he was blind I would understand but he looked me over and just up and left. Maybe he is gay."

"Of course he is." Wow. Sakura fought the urge to facepalm herself. Someone was full of themself, "I mean that's the only reason a guy would say no to you. He's gay."

"Sarcasm? Really?" The blonde glared at Sakura, "I won't let him get away with it, you know. I will make him want me. By the time I'm done with him, he will be begging me to date him."

Sakura rolled her eyes. The things some girls prioritize. She could swear Ino wasn't even thinking about her long term future. That was worrying.

"So how far are you with that 'I hate Sasuke' club?" Ino asked.

"You do know that I was just joking about that, right? I needed to vent."

She was really trying not to think about that damn Sasuke but Ino somehow always managed to bring him up. Sakura just wanted to forget she ever liked him. Was that too much to ask for?

"Not a bad idea either way. Of course I don't hate him, he is just too hot to be hated." Ino stared into open space like she was in a daze, "He can totally have the keys to my cookie factory…any time."

"Gross." Sakura's face furrowed, "I don't want to hear about your dirty fantasies. So, spare me. The image of you and him bumping uglies just about shut down my brain." Eww.

But if she was being honest, seeing him yesterday in all his shirtless glory had kind of given her visions. Still, being hot didn't give him a free pass to be a total jerk.

"Oh please, like you haven't thought about it. That guy can totally turn a lesbian straight. Can you imagine his d-" a pillow went flying towards the inappropriate blonde. Sakura had to do something before that sentence was completed. She did not want to have that on her mind.

Ino burst out laughing, throwing the pillow back. "Oh I forgot, you're our resident nun. Cute."

Sakura's face reddened. Damn that Ino. "Oh just shut up." But the blonde just laughed some more.

Ino's phone buzzed and in the next second the blonde picked it up. A huge smile formed on her face and she typed like her life depended on it. The next second she was grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

"I'm off to an art gallery; I have a fish to catch. Wish me luck, Forehead." She lingered by the doorway, "Not that I need it." And she left. Her heels sounding in the hallway as she walked.

Sakura picked up her own phone. Yeah, it was amazing and exciting not reading all the texts she never received, from all the friends she didn't have. Well at least her mom texted her and called. That was a win, right?

She scrolled down her contact list and thought of someone to call or text. None of the names popped out. Crap. Did she even have anyone she could just hang out with? This sucked.

She scrolled some more, then Tenten's name popped up. She hadn't shown up yet of course; planning on just arriving once classes start. It would have been cool to hang with that girl. Sakura swore the girl ate, breathed and slept in weapons. Tenten's father owned an Arms shop and Sakura guessed growing up around all those guns and swords must have fascinated the girl.

In high school once she started talking about firearms and magazines, no one could stop her. You could literally see sparkles in her eyes like the topic was some kind of orgasmic thing. For Halloween, she almost always dressed up as either Lara Croft or a ninja. She was cool like that.

Sakura put the phone away and slumped carelessly on her bed. Her phone buzzed and she abruptly got up grabbed that baby and wore a huge smile as she prepared to read her text.

**Dear customer, we are pleased to inform you that purchase of Airtime using Konoha Mobile Money has been restored. Sorry for the inconvenience. **

**KTN (Konoha Telecommunication Network)**

Seriously? What the hell? So this is my life? How much more of a loser could she possibly get?

Sakura gave an exasperated sigh and collapsed on her pillow.

Great.

~xoxo~

Sasuke was driving his car towards the café to meet his brother. It was a small place in town that was at a corner next to the ramen joint, that he knew his loser roommate would just like, and opposite a video store. Why that still existed or why anyone would go to a video store, Sasuke didn't know.

He had met his brother at this exact place 4 times in the last two weeks since he had returned. These meetings were necessary if he was to be successful in his plans. He had come a long way and he needed all the help he could get. If it meant having breakfast with his brother twice a week then so be it.

Sasuke packed his car across the street before crossing the road and making his way to the café. The strong smell of coffee and fresh pastry hit him as he neared the shop. Finding his way through the many caffeine addicts and pastry lovers, he walked with hands in his pockets to the table that his brother had somehow managed to reserve. They always sat at the same place. Near the window and facing the florist shop across.

And there sat his brother, the hotshot lawyer; all tailored black suit and white shirt, a cup of coffee in one hand and swiping at his phone with the other. With his head hanging like that and his hair falling in that way, his eyes were obscured. But no one could miss that signature raven Uchiha hair. For a second, Sasuke just stood and stared. Itachi had done well for himself, the guy had graduated top of his class and was well on his way to being a named partner in one of the most prestigious and lucrative law firms in Konoha. Their father couldn't have been more proud.

"You're late, little brother." Itachi said, without even looking up, "Are you just going to stand there like a statue or will you join me?"

"Hn." Sasuke could never get used to that. He wasn't little, damn it. He made his way to the table and sat.

"So, Sasuke, how are you doing?" He raised his head and faced Sasuke with the same smile he used to have on his face when they were still kids. When things hadn't gone to shit and life changed so much. Sasuke could hardly remember those days now. Itachi frowned once he saw the sore lip. "What happened to your lip?"

"Nothing." Sasuke didn't want to get into it.

The older Uchiha raised his eyebrow but didn't push it, Sasuke liked that about him. Itachi lifted his hand, signaling for the waitress. "I hope you don't mind, I already ordered you something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Don't be ridiculous. You can be manorexic in your spare time but when you are with me, you eat."

Sasuke stared at his brother for a while before the corner of his lip lifted up in a smile so small, one had to strain to see it. Itachi always said stuff like that to him. How was he still able to joke when all Sasuke felt was rage these days?

The waitress made her way to the table with a steaming cup of black coffee and a bagel. The food was set down and Itachi gave her one of his signature smiles.

"Thank you." Itachi said, his voice low. Really? It was early morning and his brother was already turning on the charm. Damn Lawyer. The girl blushed as she left, sneaking another quick glance behind as she made it to the counter. Sasuke had to fight the insane urge to hurl or roll his eyes. That was his brother, through and through, ever the charmer and ladies man. Most times he didn't have to even try.

"What's the latest?" Sasuke asked, no time to waste. The sooner he got the information he needed, the sooner he could leave.

"Patience, little brother." Itachi said, "Eat your bagel."

Patience? He scoffed. Was his brother for real? Sasuke had waited four years to get this close; patience wasn't something he could muster now. Fuck the bagel.

He pushed the salty treat away from him and looked sternly at his brother. He had returned to this awful town, he had no time for idle chit chat.

Itachi wasn't deterred. The smile on his face spoke volumes. He was determined to have a conversation. He had been trying for the past weeks. Sasuke hated it.

"Father has been asking about you. He says you never pick up his calls." Itachi said, sipping on his hot beverage. "He misses you, you know."

Sasuke couldn't avoid the twinge of guilt he felt. He looked away and stared at the street outside. His eyes fixed on the little flower shop outside. He wasn't ready to see his father yet. He felt like a dick for keeping his old man out of his life but he just wasn't ready.

He knew the time after _it _happened must have been hard on his family but they couldn't possibly understand how he felt then. How he was still feeling now. He hadn't been ready to face them…any of them. One of the reasons he had agreed to come back, to even consider these breakfast meetings was because his cunning brother had played him well. Dangling the one thing in his face that he knew Sasuke couldn't ignore.

Sneaky bastard. He wasn't one of the most formidable lawyers in Konoha for nothing.

There was an awkward silence at the table then. Itachi continued to sip his coffee and swiped at his phone while Sasuke gazed outside. The flower shop looking more and more like a good distraction as the seconds passed. Better that looking at his brother and having him read.

"It wasn't your faul-"

"Don't!" Sasuke's snapped and his eyes tore into his brothers. His hands were placed firmly on the table, gripping it like he it was the one thing helping him to keep it together. "Just don't." He loosened his grip and sank back to his seat.

If he heard anyone tell him that it wasn't his fault one more time, he knew he would lose it. He appreciated his brother trying to make him feel better but he wasn't a fucking baby. He didn't need to be comforted and told lies about something he was certain about. He knew better than anyone.

Itachi sighed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Sasuke would have apologized for snapping at him but a time for that would come. Now he just needed some fucking information. That was the only reason he had woken up early.

"You do know that all this would move quicker if you said yes to our father joining us for these meetings, right? He is the one heading the investigation. Plus you can't avoid him forever."

Ah, fuck. Sasuke knew that. He wasn't stupid.

"Just tell me what you know."

Their father was the chief of police and one hard man if Sasuke was bold to say. He was a no nonsense man who fought for what he wanted and believed in. His stern way of conduct and strong belief in justice had made the Konoha Police Department a force to be reckoned with. Sasuke was still not ready to face him though. That can of worms had to be closed shut for a little while longer.

"Fine. You are so stubborn, you know that?" Itachi shook his head. "I'll tell you the latest development."

Sasuke moved closer as he prepared to hear.

"There was a raid two days ago at one of the clubs suspected to belong to Madara. Turns out father's suspicions were correct. Several of Madara's lackeys were apprehended and are in custody as we speak. Of course those bastards are loyal and are not saying anything. I think they are more afraid of him than what would happen to them in jail." Itachi spoke and Sasuke listened, the most attentive the younger Uchiha had ever been when his brother spoke. "If one of them decides to take the deal being offered to them, we'll be one step closer to knowing where Madara is. It's only a matter of time now."

This was the best news Sasuke had heard in a long time. For the past weeks his brother had been dragging him down here in this coffee shop and teasing him with hints that there was a break with the case. Of course Itachi hadn't said anything useful until now. Sasuke had begun to suspect that his brother was just stringing him along so they could have breakfast together. But now with this news, Sasuke knew he was getting closer. Madara would not elude him this time.

"But hey, try not to let this run your life. You are in college now. Get drunk, get a girlfriend, and join a frat. Just don't let this hunt consume you." Itachi advised. "Father has it handled. Trust him."

Sasuke scoffed. His brother was funny. He had only agreed to attend that stupid college because it was one of the conditions that his cunning brother had placed in order for Sasuke to be getting the information he needed about Madara. Screw the college life. There was one thing on his mind these days and that was vengeance.

Itachi's phone buzzed and one quick look at it made him curse. "I gotta go; I have a deposition in 30 minutes that I just can't miss." He got up, put his phone in his pocket and looked at Sasuke's bagel just sitting there; he reached for it with his left hand. "Well if you aren't going to eat this." He took a bite and smiled at his brother. With his right hand, he poked Sasuke on the forehead like he used to when they were growing up and Sasuke's eyes widened. Itachi started walking away and a lump formed in sasuke's throat.

Damn that sneaky bastard. What the hell was he playing at?

Sasuke stayed at that table a while longer and actually took a sip of his coffee. Shit. He wanted to spit it out when he found it had started going cold.

He felt good about how this day was starting out though. Madara's days were numbered. That bastard had ruined his life.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and his first thought was that Itachi was getting clingy on him. Getting all attached and thinking it was okay to text every other time and annoying the crap out of him.

The hell?

It was his blonde roommate texting him. How did that idiot even get his number?

**U cold bastard! Y the hell ddnt u tell me tht Sakura hd dropped by 2 see me? God help me, I will punch yo lights out. U stink as a roommate**

Seriously? Was he supposed to have mentioned something? Oops.

He put the phone back in his pocket, not even bothering to reply and started staring out the window. If he wasn't careful, Naruto and that woman might get in the way of his hunt.

~xoxo~

Sakura had spent the past hours on her laptop watching one of her favourite shows about vampire brothers in New Orleans. She had watched so many episodes until she found herself passed out on her bed. Her phone had buzzed a couple of times but she had just ignored it. Having already talked to her mother for the day, she knew whoever the texts were from might just end up being the network company again.

It was when the buzzing kept going on and that she finally got up. A grunt in frustration later and the phone was in her hands. A huge smile formed on her face as soon as she saw the caller ID. No sooner had she seen the name than she pressed the answer button.

"Naruto, hey." Sakura was beyond ecstatic.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry. I just found your messages and your missed calls. My phone was off. And my jerk roommate forgot to tell me you passed by. So sorry for how he treated you. He is as ass now. Well more than before. I'll teach that guy a lesson for you." Sakura couldn't help herself and had actually told Naruto about her experience with the cold Uchiha. She was touched that Naruto cared enough to want to do something about it.

"It's okay. I'm over it now. How are you though?" I've missed you, she wanted to add.

"I'm okay. You?" the best thing about chatting with Naruto was that there were no awkward silences. Sakura liked that about him. He always lightened up the day and her mood in general. Must have been his goofball tendencies.

"No complaints. So when can I see you? We should hang out sometime?"

"I would love that a lot Sakura but I had to leave campus again. Not sure when I'll come back." There was silence, "But as soon as I get back, I'll take you to this ramen joint I saw in town, my treat."

"Still the ramen lover, I see." She couldn't help but smile.

"You know me." His laugh sounded in the ear piece. It was infectious and Sakura had to admit she had missed it. "I have to go now, have a train to catch."

A train? Really? Where was he going?

"It was nice finally hearing from you Naruto. Travel safely okay?"

"I sure will. Later."

"Later." She removed the phone from her ear but the smile was still on her face.

She checked her phone and found 5 messages from Naruto. Guess she shouldn't have ignored that buzzing earlier. They were all almost the same.

**Sorry for not being around. **

**Thanks for sharing your room number. **

**Sorry Sasuke is a dick. **

**Call me when you get this**.

Her smile just widened. Thanks Naruto. Now the day was going okay. Nothing could wrong.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

The sound dragged her attention to the door. Probably one of Ino's admirers making a personal room call. Eew. Sakura didn't understand why Ino had to string so many guys along. And she would be on the receiving end of all the stories…in detail. The girl left nothing to the imagination when she was narrating a story.

The bed creaked as her weight was slowly thrown off it. Sakura's feet touched the ground and her footsteps were slow and light as she walked to the door in her polka dot socks. She didn't even bother putting on any slippers. What was the point? She was just going to tell which ever horn-dog was at the door that Flirty Barbie wasn't in. Probably hooking up with whatever fish she had gone to catch at whatever gallery she had rushed off to.

She pulled the door open and her breath caught. Dear God. For the love of all that was plausible, why, oh why was this happening to her?

Sasuke was at the door, hands in the pockets and looking at her. His tousled hair framing his face and looking like he would much rather be anywhere but there. Why was he here?

Sakura had to blink a couple of times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Yep, it was him. Had Ino actually managed to snag the brooding Uchiha?

"Put on your shoes." His black eyes pierced through hers. He wasn't showing any emotion even as he spoke. Damn his icy exterior.

Sakura couldn't make sense of just what was going on. Sasuke Uchiha had knocked on her door and was asking her to put on her shoes. Was this some kind of sadistic nightmare? Just what was he playing at?

~xoxo~

**Author's Note: **First of all **thank you** guys for the reviews, follows and faves (doing my happy dance). Means a lot. And to the guest reviewers, I will do just that and I even edited the last chapter because I read that Sasuke was OOC. (He is one hard character to work with…but I'll try). If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes will edit them once I see some. These things look okay before you read through them but once they are posted, (KMN) you feel like shooting yourself in the foot.

I hope no one minds the path I took with the Sasuke part. We need some intrigue in this thing right?

Tell me what you think.


	5. Just her luck

There are points in our lives when what is happening gets so confusing and unreal that all we can come up with as an explanation, is that we are probably just dreaming. That was what Sakura was thinking when she saw the Uchiha standing outside her door. Her mind had dreamt up the handsome man to drive her insane. Hallucinating your first love had to definitely be the number one indicator of losing one's mind, right? She blinked more times in that minute than was humanly possible and yet the vision in front of her was not dissipating. So yeah, he really was at her door and he really had asked her to put on her shoes. Why? That was what the bewildered pinkete wanted to know.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, so over the stuttering and letting him get to her. His presence still did things to her. It still brought heat and fire to parts she didn't even want to think about but she was not going to let him see that.

He scoffed at her question and leaned in close to her. His close proximity made her draw in a rugged breath. He smelt so good and she was ashamed to admit it. Why was her stupid body betraying her?

"Well, someone told my loser roommate that I was rude to them when they came looking for him." He waltzed into her room like he owned the place. Hands still in the pocket and looking all high and mighty. It frustrated Sakura. "And now that idiot roommate has taken my car keys with the promise that once I apologize and get forgiven, he will tell me where he has hidden them."

Sakura's initial shock at his arrival was suddenly washed away and the corner of her lips twitched. She wanted to laugh at the pure genius of Naruto. So all it took for the brooding Uchiha to apologize was confiscating his car keys? She liked it…she liked it a lot.

"Okay." Sakura finally said. She folded her arms and waited for the apology that might just indicate that the apocalypse was coming. Such moments were rare. An Uchiha apology…was she touched by an angel?

"I'm supposed to take you out." He spoke like the very act burnt his throat. Like the whole idea of it was a torturous ordeal for him. Sakura understood how he felt. The idea upset her too. She was not going to go out with him. There was just no way.

"Ha. Very funny. Well you can just tell him we did it." Sakura reddened when she got the double meaning of what she had just said. Oh, gosh. "I mean, _did it_ as in we went out, and not the other thing." What the hell?

"Hn." He looked at her, stoic and just being all the things she hated to see in him. She stared back at him and her heartbeat quickened.

Stupid good looks.

"What? If you think I'm agreeing to this then you are not as smart as you think you are. It's not happening buddy."

"Then we have a problem now, don't we? I really need my car keys." He took out his hands from his pocket. He had his phone out and he clicked at it before handing it to her.

Sakura got the phone and read what he was showing her.

**If u wnt yo car keys, u will apologize 2 Sakura. Her room is B18. Take her out 2 the ramen joint in town & text me proof. I wnt pics. Wen I c that she is happy I'll tell u where the keys are. C u in a few.**

Gosh Naruto. He had really gone all out with this one. But she liked that he cared that much about her. She had missed his protectiveness.

"So, like I said…put on your shoes."

"Just search your room, dude. I'm sure he has just hidden them somewhere in there."

"Oh, what an excellent idea. I wonder why I didn't think of that before I walked all the way here." He said, sarcasm filled the room to the brink. "My room looks like a tornado hit it. Believe me when I say I searched everywhere."

Dammit Naruto. Why would he do this to her? A simple apology would have sufficed. Going out with him was just not right.

There were about a dozen things Sakura wanted to do to Sasuke Uchiha. Stab him, maybe. Shake him until he remembered her, definitely. Go out with him under duress, not a chance in hell. That was just wrong.

So, she did the only thing that would not result in awkward silences and both of them wishing they were elsewhere. She walked to her bed, making sure that she left the door wide open, there was no way she would be behind closed doors with this version of Sasuke. She picked up her phone, searched for Naruto's number and pressed the call button like her life depended on it. She looked back to glance at Sasuke and when she found him staring at her, her heart skipped a beat.

Stupid heart.

Naruto's line went through and when he picked up, she couldn't even bother to say hello.

"Naruto, I don't really want to have dinner or anything with your roommate," if he didn't remember her, there was no way she would refer to him by his name either, he would simply be _the roommate _"so just tell him where his keys are and we can avoid this uncomfortable situation."

Naruto's laughed echoed in the ear piece and Sakura had to move her phone from her ear for a second, "I can't do that. I gave him my word that I'd return the keys once I saw pics of you two in town. You know me by now Sakura; I never go back on my word. That's my way of life."

"But I-"

"I have to go now. My phone will be on to receive the pics. Have fun." What was the rush?

"Naruto, wait-" but he had already cut the line. Seriously? This was not happening. She could always say no, right? The idea of being at the same table with Sasuke and dealing with his crappy mood was not appealing to her…at all.

"Let's just get this over with." He said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that." She walked to the door. It was already open after all. No need to open it to indicate this visit was over. "You can leave now. I'm not in the mood to spend time with Naruto's domineering evil roommate. Good luck with your keys though." She gave him a sweet smile.

He stood looking at her. Unmoving and not showing any emotion at all. Then in quick strides, he was already in front of her. He grabbed the door and shut it. It closed with a bang and the room felt like all the air had just been sucked out of it-despite the open window. Before Sakura could comprehend what was going on, he had her back to the door and placed his hands on either side of her. Trapping her. His head hovered dangerously close to hers and Sakura's body started betraying her again. The butterflies in her stomach felt like they were having an orgy and her throat felt dry. She sucked in a breath, but it just made it worse as she breathed in his scent. She felt intoxicated by him. She felt heat pool up in areas she wanted to avoid thinking about.

This was not what she wanted to be feeling. Sakura hated her stupid body for what it was clearly enjoying.

"Listen…" his voice came out low and throaty, which only made Sakura even more dazed and hot, her legs almost gave way, "I really don't care what you think of me but I want my keys back. So, you will put on your shoes now…or…I'll carry you out of here on my shoulder like a cave man. Either way, you are coming with me." his hair had fallen to his face but his dark eyes still made contact with hers, they looked savage. "Choose."

Sakura swallowed hard, her eyes got hazy for a second but she shook her head to push the feelings away. She willed her eyes to look away and she started gazing at the floor.

_Breath Sakura. Breath._

"Fine." She finally said, "Now move."

Sasuke lingered for a while before he shifted away completely. His hands returned back in his pockets and Sakura made her way to the closet on her wobbly legs. It would be flats for her. Yeah, no way could she walk in anything else. Especially given her current state of legs.

She grabbed the first black pair of flat pumps she saw and put them on. Grabbed a jacket and run her fingers in her hair and when she was satisfied with her look she turned back and found him staring at her.

"What?" she had to ask.

He just stared at her and then faced away. Opened the door and made his way out.

"Of course, he did that." She shook head, no surprise there.

A quick text to Ino telling her that she might be out late and Sakura was ready to go out for supper with the one guy she was trying to avoid.

Thanks a lot universe.

She followed after him. Her phone was in her jeans pocket and the room key was in her jacket.

Thanks a lot Naruto. Her day out with an unresponsive man was underway. She just hoped it didn't end in disaster. But given how her back stabbing body was acting around him, Sakura wasn't going to hold her breath.

~xoxo~

So, Sasuke not having his car hadn't gone well for the two. Their trip to town involved walking in awkward silence, hailing for a cab in awkward silence, sitting side by side in the cab in awkward silence and finally reaching _Ramen Ichiraku (_the ramen place) in awkward silence. If he wasn't going to speak up, neither was Sakura. It sounded childish but she didn't care. In this situation, _tit for tat _was going to be her mantra. Was he like this with his red head girlfriend as well? Sakura wondered.

By the time they reached the eating place, it was getting dark outside. It wasn't packed and they managed to find a free booth by the window. Sakura loved sitting near the window. And in this situation, it would be a damn good distraction from the man seated in front of her.

A waitress clad in a mustard yellow uniform made her way to their table once she was sure they had taken a good look at the menu.

"Good evening and welcome to Ramen Ichiraku. Home of every ramen flavor you can ever desire. May I take your order." She was chewing and popping gum and said it almost like she was singing it. She had probably said those words too many times that now it probably just annoyed her.

Sasuke looked at the menu again like it had nothing but dog and pig food on it. Sakura had to fight the urge to kick him under the table. Now wasn't the time to be rude.

She smiled politely at the waitress, "Can I have the spicy roast chicken with extra mushrooms please and some fresh juice." The waitress jotted down her order and then switched her attention back to Sasuke.

"What will it be for you?" the sound of her gum popping was getting to Sakura but she maintained her smile.

"Tomato and onion ramen, hold the onion and just bring it with extra tomatoes." He pushed the menu away and sunk back to the chair, "And a soda." His phone buzzed, he looked at it for a second and ignored the buzzing.

The waitress wrote his order on her notepad and looked at Sakura, "Your boyfriend is quiet the character."

"He's not my-" She walked away before Sakura could even correct her.

Sasuke grabbed his phone swiftly and took a picture of Sakura.

"What are you doing?" she felt very self-conscious.

"Keeping my end of the deal." His voice came out flat, "So, smile."

Really? Now? She always felt like she was on display each time she took pictures in public. Unlike her selfie-obsessed roommate, Sakura wasn't keen on taking photos. But Naruto required it. So, time to show those pearly whites.

She smiled in Sasuke's direction and he took one more.

Oh what the hell, if she was going to be smiling she might as well pull out all the stops and show a peace sign. Sakura smiled and posed as Sasuke took the pictures. A peace sigh here. A finger on the lip there. She went all out and even did a duck face. You only live once, right? And Naruto needed all the proof he could get. Silly and smiling pictures it was. She even forgot that there were other people in the room.

She looked at Sasuke; he had gotten even quieter and saw something in his eyes. It wasn't condescension this time and neither was it anger. Sakura couldn't tell what it was. He quickly put the phone away and shifted in his seat.

"Everything okay?" She suddenly felt silly for losing it for a second. She couldn't imagine how the pictures had turned out.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Okay. Grouch alert.

"So, um…won't your girlfriend be upset finding pictures of other girls in your phone?" she played with the ketchup on the table as she asked. Fidgeting was not a good look on her. And as it turned out, neither was prying.

"Hn" The corner of his lip curled up, "Which one?"

Oh wow. Was he that big a playboy? Sakura wasn't shocked. He looked the part-hot body, cold personality and an overactive penis. That sounded right about correct.

"The redhead." Duchess mc-slut-her, Sakura thought to herself.

He leaned in closer, his upper body hovering on the only thing between them, "Is that your way of asking how serious me and…the redhead…are?" he looked deep into her eyes. His voice low and it did those crazy things to her body again. What was it, audio Viagra for women or something? Sakura had to be careful not to let him affect her so.

Seriously, it was like breathing in his presence made her horny. Her body was officially on her worst enemy list. The stupid thing made her feel easy. This wasn't who she was. She cursed herself for how she was feeling.

Stupid sensual voice.

She cleared her throat, gained a resemblance of control and looked him head on. "No. I'm just making conversation. I'm afraid if we continue with these silences that I'm going to be tempted to squirt this hot sauce in my eyes. It would be far more endurable. I don't wanna be here anymore than you do, but at least I'm trying to not make this anymore awkward than it has to be. I wasn't happy with Naruto's prank either. So, maybe you shouldn't sit there like a giant blob of cheese and look so uncaring and like you are the only one not enjoying this. It woul-"

He scoffed and shook his head. "A simple _no _would have been just fine." He leaned back to his seat.

That was just it now, wasn't it? That was the point she was trying to put across. She didn't want simple yes or no answers. She wanted a conversation with the man she was forced to eat with. They were seated opposite each other and acting like strangers in a bus. Maybe they were strangers. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. Like who those guys he was with at the party were or where he had spent the last four years.

"This was a bad id-" she stopped herself when she saw the waitress walking over with their steaming food.

"Thank you." The pink haired girl said once the food had been set down.

The waitress left.

Sasuke's phone buzzed again, he ignored it once more. He took in a labored breath and it drew Sakura's eyes to his upper body, to the subtle rise and fall of his chest.

The chest.

A flashback of his naked chest as he stood in the doorway stalked her mind and she had to force herself to think of something innocent. Anything to control her wandering brain.

_Cute kitties and playful puppies.. Unicorns and rainbows._

What was going on with her? She shouldn't have been noticing or remembering such things. She hated him now, right? Or was she just kidding herself?

She saw him waving his hand in front of her.

"Huh?" she shook her head to get out of her daze.

"Where did you just go? Your food is getting cold." Sasuke picked up his chop sticks and went in for the food.

"Um…nowhere." She took a mouthful of her own dish. Yeah, like she would tell him just what her mind was thinking. Hell no. That was a total 'to the grave' moment.

"Hm." He made a sound but was lost in his food. For a dish that comprised mainly of tomatoes, the guy sure looked like he was eating a slice of heaven.

"You are drooling." Sakura teased.

His brow rose and he looked straight at her. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and rested his elbows on the table. His chin on his knuckles and his black eyes still on her. "I don't drool."

"You could've fooled me." she smiled and when the corner of his mouth curved, Sakura wasn't sure if she had just imagined it or Sasuke was indeed smiling back.

"Just eat your food." He continued with his own.

Sakura looked away from him and concentrated on her plate. She just put a mouthful in her mouth when she heard the phone camera go off.

"Seriously? No one wants their picture taken while they are eating. No one. Delete it."

"Just doing what I have to, to get my keys back, remember? The idiot wants proof"

Oh yeah. For a minute there she had actually forgotten why they were here in the first place. This was all so he could get his keys back. How could she have forgotten? Oh well, whatever.

"Okay, you better make me look good then." She smiled. The sooner this _date- _if she can even call it that- was over, the sooner they could go back to keeping out of each other's way. Sounded simple enough.

"You have a little something…" he reached for her face and wiped away the sauce by her cheek with his napkin. Sakura stilled as soon as his knuckles made contact with her soft skin. A jolt of electricity went through her whole body and she took in a long breath.

Did that just…did he just…

He must have realized just what he had done and drew his hand back like it had come in contact with molten lava. The aura around them got intense and they stared at each other in awkward silence.

"Um…thanks." She said. And used her napkin to finish the job.

Sasuke just scowled and looked at her like she was a girl who had just kicked his dog or something sinister like that. Swiftly without warning or saying anything, he moved from his side of the booth and went to her side. Sakura scooted over and tried to put some distance between them. It was bad enough sitting across from him, sitting by his side was like dropping a mint in a can of soda. Sakura didn't want that kind of chemical reaction. It was dangerous.

He moved closer to her and put his arm around her and with his other hand positioned his phone in front of them, "Smile." He took a quick picture and as abruptly as he had moved to her side he was up and moving away. He took his own seat and pushed his plate away. His eyes suddenly became empty again.

"Finish up, we are done here." He said.

So, it was back to stoic Sasuke again. Oh goodie. Sakura couldn't say she missed that.

"Ooo-kay." She took a long sup from her drink and got up from her seat. "I'm done."

He got up and led the way to the door. Sakura dragged behind him and looked at him as he exited the eating place and made his way outside and into the cold night air. He put his hands in his pockets. Sakura was glad but somehow a part of her was disappointed that it had come to an end. Was she pathetic in her desires? She couldn't say she still loved him but she also couldn't deny that she still felt something for him.

Sakura wasn't in the mood to be walking fast after him so she remained behind him. She was enjoying the coolness of the night and she could easily reach campus on her own. There were no cabs in sight so they had to walk to the bus stop. What a bother. Her phone vibrated in her jeans and she took it out.

**Forehead, I hope u r out this late becoz u r doing it with some hot guy. Otherwise, what a waste. Not by the room either. Just left. Some fish are harder to catch. Artists are such snobs. See ya.**

That damn Ino. What the hell kind of message was this? Random hook ups wasn't something Sakura did or even thought about. Okay so sure, Sasuke had brought parts of her to life. Parts she didn't even know worked but still random hook ups were definitely off the table. She decided to reply.

**No, pig. They are called "private parts" and not "public parts" for a reason. I'm keeping mine under strict lock and key. Have fun.**

She made extra care not to mention that she had actually been with the Uchiha. Ino made enough fun of her already, last thing Sakura needed was adding fuel to that particular fire. She wouldn't hear the end of it. Ino might see this as a pity date or that the only way Sakura could score a date was if a guy was blackmailed into doing it.

She had her eyes fixed to her phone that she ended up bumping into someone on the sidewalk. She had been sure that apart from Sasuke, there was no one else in sight. A six pack of beer fell to the ground and so did her phone. She hoped her screen hadn't cracked like the six beers that now flowed on the ground. Spilt, never to be enjoyed.

"What the actual fuck?" The guy swore. His silver hair was slicked back and glowed in the night air. He was in black tight pants and a gray tee with a triple-bladed scythe on it. "Watch where you are going, bitch!"

"I am so sorry. I promise I will replace your beer. I'll pay for it." She bent down and picked her phone. She sighed. Her screen was okay.

"No shit you will." He ran his hands in his hair and cursed. "This is un-fucking-believable. Clumsy bitch. Your stupid phone is okay, look at my fucking beer."

"Hey, I said I was sorry. Ease up on the 'B' word." She had already said she was sorry and that she would replace his beer. There was no need for the foul language.

"Did you just sass me? Well did you, bitch? Don't like the 'b' word, huh? Okay fine, cunt then."

He looked at her shocked face and a leer formed on his face, "You're a cute one, aren't you? Let's make a deal." He grabbed her wrists and moved closer to her. Sakura took a step back but he held on so tightly to her that her wrists stung. "Come with me, we will have a bit of fun and you can forget about paying for the beer you lost me. What do you say?"

"Let go of her unless you want to lose that hand of yours." Sasuke's firm voice sounded and Sakura felt relief. For a second, she had thought that he had actually left her.

"Who the fuck are you?" the silver haired man asked. His hand was still holding on to Sakura's wrist. She was struggling to pry it away but his grip was strong.

"I said…let go of her."

"Fuck you. Get your own bitch."

That was the only incentive Sasuke needed before he charged straight and dealt a swift punch to the silver haired man's face. The man staggered back and Sakura was able to break free of his hold. This night had just gone from awkward to dangerous. Just her luck.

"Why you little fucker…I'll fucking end you." The man said, as he spat out blood, he tried to retaliate but Sasuke dodged all his efforts. "Fuck! This has nothing to do with you. Just carry on with your night. It's none of your business."

"She is my business." The raven said as he threw one more punch and the silver haired guy was knocked out.

Sakura stood behind Sasuke, her heat beating fast and trying to make sense of just what he had said.

_She is my business._

Those words turned her brain to mush and she wanted to run to him for comfort. She was still shivering. Her wrist burned a little.

Sasuke turned and looked her over. His face blank and his eyes emotionless. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes. Thank you so much for that. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did. That guy was a total psycho. Thank you."

"I think my idiot roommate would kill me in my sleep if I let anything bad happen to you." He started walking away from the passed out guy. "Try and keep up."

"Oh." Of course. And there it was. The reason he had punched the living daylights out of a foul mouthed psycho. He didn't want to have to deal with Naruto. Sakura felt foolish for thinking otherwise. Now her heart was the one betraying her. What was wrong with her?

They walked until they were near an alley. A black van with tinted windows rounded the corner and Sakura wasn't really paying attention to anything. Her mind was on standby.

"Watch out!" Sasuke dove for her and took her in his arms before he jumped to the ground. They rolled on the dirty concrete but she was still being shielded. Sakura screamed when she heard gun shots and the loud sound of skidding tires.

"Tell your father, Madara sends his regards." A voice said and Sakura heard more gun shots.

Sasuke was on top of her and he felt heavy. She shifted uncomfortably under him and tried to move him off. He wouldn't budge. Her hand touched the inside of his jacket and she felt wetness.

Oh no.

She raised the hand and looked at it. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the red liquid coating it. Emotions rose through and made it hard to breath. This was not happening. She wanted to scream out again.

God, no. It was just her luck to have the love of her life shot in front of her.

"S-Sasuke?" she held her breath as she waited for his response.

None came.

Please, God, no.

She rolled him off, or at least tried. His weight was pushing the air out of her. In the end she managed, until she was straddling him. Until she was looking down at his handsome face, down at his closed eyes. With shaky hands she moved his jacket away and saw his shirt clinging to his body. The crimson liquid was staining the shirt and now even her hands.

The emotions hit her like a tornado and she wanted to scream out. He can't die. Not now, not like this. Tears stung her eyes as she looked down at him. She froze. What could she do? Was this really how bad her luck was?

~xoxo~

**Author's note: **Hey guys, or should I say sweethearts...you all rock. Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming. Makes my writing better and just really helps me (not to mention brings a smile to my face). And the follows and faves too. (Makes my day).

So, I wanted to ask…would you guys like longer chapters? Like I'm stopping once I see that the word count is 4000 but if you want I can add 2000 more words that way I can be posting 6000 word chapters.

**Endorsements: **So I'll be putting in an author recommendation in each chapter…(you can thank Perrie for this.)

This week I'll recommend that you check out, **RobinSparkelz…(** I'm sure many of you will like her story "The in between" Post canon Sasusaku)

If you have any good author's that you think I should check out, tell me in a review or PM (even if you are recommending yourself). I'm all about supporting my fellow wannabe writers.

**Till next time. Leave me a review of this chapter (**honesty is key please).


	6. Get your mind out of the gutter

_Madara sends his regards._

_Madara sends his regards? _

_Madara? _

Who on this cruel earth was Madara and why had his goons shot at her and Sasuke? Sakura had many thoughts going on in her mind but the most pressing of all was _how the hell was she going to save Sasuke's life?_

The alley was completely deserted except for the two people who really shouldn't have been there in the first place. It was dirty and it was nasty. The whiff of pee in the air clogged her sense of smell. The trash bins in the distance were filled to the brim and the broken bottles and rusty nails made it a hazardous place to be in. Walking in the night had proved itself beyond dangerous. Why wasn't anyone coming to their aid?

Despite the loud gunshots, psychotic driving and skidding tires, no one had ventured into that part of the town to help the pair. That had to say something about humanity.

Sakura cursed.

Sasuke was unconscious and laying on his back, with his dark locks falling away from his face while the panicking Sakura was straddling him. The sight of blood had never bothered her, but in that moment as she looked at her stained hands and his equally stained side of the shirt-right below his ribs- Sakura lost control of her body. Her hands trembled in the cold night but it wasn't because of the chilly air.

What to do? What to do?

911. Obviously.

She needed to get it together. That was his greatest chance.

She fumbled with her jeans pocket and got out her phone. No. No. No. The battery was in the red zone and as soon as she pressed the first 'one' after the 'nine', it gave out the one sound Sakura did not want to hear in that moment.

Come on! Give her a break. The stupid thing died. Unreliable battery.

What now?

Sakura shook her head. For the love of medical personnel everywhere. She was planning on being a damn doctor-a great one for that matter. Now wasn't the time to choke up and act like a total spaz. She was better than that…or at the very least wanted to be better than that.

Forgetting for a second that she was trying to forget about him and get him completely out of her system and life, she found herself worrying about his wellbeing. Who wouldn't? She was human after all and not some sadistic evil witch.

There was no one else in sight to help him. What other option did he really have? This was her task and screw the universe for putting her in such a situation in the first place.

Sakura willed her body to become a good team player for once and listen to her commands. She moved her feminine hands and placed them gently on his chest, feeling the subtle rise and fall of it as he took in the oxygen. His heartbeat steady. That was a good sign.

Thank the heavens. He was still alive.

She took in a deep breath and sighed when she confirmed that he was indeed breathing. Her eyes were still wet with tears she didn't even realise she was shedding. Using the back of her hand, she wiped them away and tried to act stronger.

The bloody area had to be looked after. Sakura wouldn't live it down if he died from bleeding when there was a chance she could have helped. Even just a bit. Pressure had to be applied to it to stop the bleeding. Remembering that the closest she had come to actually patching anyone up was when her mom cut herself whilst cooking really wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that Sasuke's t-shirt had risen up a bit and she could clearly see the waistband of his boxer briefs above his belt and the hard ropes of stomach muscle that were exposed to her sight.

Really? Now?

This was not the time to be thinking like that. The guy had been shot at. Plus, she was certain she didn't like him anymore. Her body had probably not gotten that memo. She could keep her stupid body in check until a time when it wouldn't be inappropriate. Not to mention somewhat criminal.

She shook her head to try and focus. It helped.

She pressed her hand on the left side where it was bloody and pressed hard. The pressure made him move and shift under her. To be more accurate, it was more like a twitch. A second later she felt a vibration between them and she almost jumped up like a frightened child. Her nerves were all over the place. What in the world was that insufferable vibrating?

Oh lord. His phone!

How could she have forgotten? She wanted to face-palm herself for her minor slip. No matter. There was still time to salvage the situation. She felt daft but it wasn't too late yet…not on her watch.

With her right hand still pressing down on his wounded side, she used her left to try and get his phone out from his pants pocket. The sooner 911 was called, the sooner her heart would relax. Despite every fibre in her body telling her how weird it was stuffing her hand in his pocket, the determined girl soldiered on. She saw his hand move and she stilled. Was he…was he coming to?

Sasuke's eyes twitched and Sakura held her breath. That was definitely a good sign unless he was having a seizure to the gunshot in which case it was far from being good news. She didn't want to be having such negative thoughts. Concentrating on the positives, that was the way forward. She didn't want to be too comfortable so she dug into his pockets deeper but the stupid phone wouldn't come out.

"Come on!" her voice came out exasperated and desperate. A few more tugs and the stubborn phone finally budged. Thank you.

His eyes twitched some more before he opened them completely; his dark pools looked up at her and the girl froze. "W-what are you doing?" the throatiness of his voice got her even more worried. She had to work fast. When he tried to get up and then flinched, Sakura had to stop him from hurting himself further. He had to lie still.

"Don't try to move. I'm calling for help. Stay put." Ignoring the many missed calls and messages on his phone, she swiftly pressed the lifesaving number and put the phone to her ear. Her right hand still on his body. This was not how she had seen this night going.

"I'm fine, cut the line."

"Of course you would say that…you are such a guy. Try and relax okay. The line is going through. Shhh."

The dark-haired boy looked confused and his forehead furrowed as he looked up at her. He raised himself on his elbows and winced slightly with the shift in his body. "Cut. The. Line." Making sure to accentuate each word, his face serious and intimidating, Sasuke's eyes pierced hers.

Sakura almost scoffed. She was having none of that. There was no way in hell she was going to take orders from someone who was clearly suffering from blood loss and didn't know what was good for him. Pssh…ordering her around? He had another thing coming.

"_9-1-1, what's your emergency?" _A female voice sounded on the other side of theline.

"Hello, my friend has been shot." Friend?

"_Ma'am, where are you_?"

"We are in an alley near-" before she could even finish, Sasuke yanked the phone away from her and cut the line. His facial expression stern.

"Hey!" She looked at him wide eyed as he sat up and was eye to eye with her. "You know they are going to think that was a prank call, right? I'm trying to help you." Stubborn ass. She added. He was dangerously too close for comfort. It was like they were exchanging the same air.

"Like I said…I'm fine."

"You're bleeding." It came out matter-of-factly and she was losing it now. How was it she was more concerned about him than he was about himself? The guy was shot for crying out loud. He could act like he cared…even a bit.

"That happens sometimes." No surprise there. He acted like it was nothing and she hated it. What was wrong with him?

"Now really isn't the time to be acting macho, dude. You were just shot at. I won't sit here and watch you bleed to death." She wanted to push him back to the ground and force him to relax.

"Hn." He looked at her and then lifted his shirt. Her hand dropped to the ground. As his shirt rode higher up the expanse of his chest, Sakura kept her eyes on his face. For the first time since that day when she met him at that party, her body didn't embarrass her. Her eyes didn't wander. Her jaw didn't drop. Finally.

Her hands moved from the dirty ground and she placed them on the thighs that were on either side of him. She didn't want to think of all the grime that she was picking up in that alleyway. She would have a hot bath once they were both safe and sound…him especially.

"I wasn't shot." He said once his shirt had gone over where the blood was coming from. There was a piece of broken glass embedded on his side, just below his ribs. It must have injured him as he was shielding her and as they rolled on the messy alley ground. Sakura felt his pain as he proceeded to dislodging it and then shortly throwing it away. It didn't look very deep. But ouch.

She felt a chill wash all over her still trembling body. But he wasn't shot.

She sighed. "That's good news, because I wasn't ready to carry your heavy corpse around." Once she was certain he wasn't going to die on her, she got her fire back and actually attempted to make a joke. A lame one but still, baby steps.

The corner of his lips twitched for a second before his features became hard again. "Are you okay?" he finally asked, but Sakura knew he just didn't want to have to explain to Naruto if anything happened to her. She knew it wasn't out of concern for her personally.

She gave him a smile, "Well yeah. Don't worry, you don't have to fear what Naruto might do to you. I'm a bit achy and sore but I'm great." _My heart is racing like I ran a marathon but hey, I'm _okay "Thanks to you. My personal human shield. It must be all those toned muscles, huh?."

Mother of crap! Did she just say that out loud? His raised eyebrow told her that she did. There went her smoothness. Wow.

"How long do you plan on sitting there?"

"What do you-" His question brought confusion to Sakura's face until she realised that she was still straddling him. "Oh." She got off him like his lap was on fire and then stood up, dusting herself off. Should she say sorry or something? No. The sooner they forgot about it the better. It was awkward enough already.

Sasuke readjusted his shirt and then also stood up.

"You still need to have that cut checked out." Pointing at his bloody mess that was now completely covered by his jacket. The last thing he needed was for it to get infected. That would be sad. Dodge bullets and then die from a glass bottle cut…it was pathetic.

"I'm okay." His phone buzzed and he looked at it for a while. Then in a move that shocked Sakura, he actually answered the call. Who was calling him, the pope? Whoever it was must be pretty important. Turning his face away from her, he proceeded with his business.

"Karin." He said. Sakura couldn't believe it. So, he did pick up calls if they were from the redhead. Good to know.

The fact that she remembered the redhead's name made Sakura feel pathetic. It wasn't like she cared about their stupid little relationship and the fact that he picked up her calls when he had a gazillion missed calls and messages from other people. Nope. She didn't care.

Sakura didn't want to be a snoop but she found herself paying a little too much attention to what he was going to say next. She was curious as to how he acted with other people-Other people being slutty-dressing redheads who make fun of her forehead. So far, all Sakura got from him was a cold vibe and an 'I don't care' attitude…well, when he wasn't saving her from gunmen and dodging bullets.

"I know." He said to the girl on the line. What where they talking about? "Tell him not to bother." And he cut the line.

Strange relationship they had. Sakura couldn't help but think how weird the conversation had been. He faced her once he was done and put his right hand in his pocket together with the phone.

The awkward silence as they stared at each other was getting to Sakura. She had some questions and to avoid asking him what his girlfriend wanted, she thought of something even better.

She cleared her throat.

"Um who were those guys? The gunmen?" Sakura looked at him for some answers. She was just shot at. She knew she deserved at least that; an ounce of truth and an explanation.

He shrugged.

"And Madara?" She had to get at least one satisfactory answer.

"No idea." he actually said it with a straight face. Sakura didn't buy it.

"So, random gun-shooting psychos drive out of nowhere, almost kill us and you expect me to believe you don't know anything?" She didn't mean to make it come out like a challenge but it did anyway. Let's see him avoid that pry.

"Yes."

"Right." She said drawing the word out. Her arms were folded to her chest. "You know something. What's going on? Tell me."

The look of disdain that she hated so much painted his face once more and Sakura got the message loud and clear. He didn't think she deserved to know and more importantly he didn't think she had the right to demand anything from him.

Message received.

Screw him. He can keep his dirty little secrets.

"Let's get out of here." He started heading out of the alley, his fists clenched tight and walked with a slight limp. He must have hurt himself while he was playing superman. Or more embarrassingly, Sakura sitting on him must have given him the worst case of pins and needles. In any case, they had to get out of there before those maniacs with guns decided it was time for round two. Sakura doubted either one of them would survive a second attack.

Okay, so maybe she didn't really mean it when she decided he could keep his dirty little secrets. Sakura was still curious about want had just happened. Her mind came up with the worst possible scenarios as to why they had been attacked.

Scenario one: Sasuke had gotten himself involved with some really bad people, possibly gambling related and now they had come to collect. The price? His life. Madara was a loan shark.

Scenario two: Sasuke had been in an affair with a married woman-a beautiful trophy wife- whose husband was a thug and a drug lord. With his looks, he could totally do it. The husband wanted to teach him a lesson. No one fools around with Madara's wife and lived.

But the men had said, 'tell you _father_' so maybe it had nothing to do with Sasuke at all-which brought up the final scenario.

Scenario three: since Sasuke's dad was the chief of police, he must have arrested some pretty badass criminals and now they were pissed and fighting back by attacking his son. Madara had a following of psychos.

Yeah, quite an over active imagination she had. Either way, Sakura didn't know how to react to any of it. It made the man walking beside her appear more dangerous and unapproachable than he already was.

Yet, she couldn't stop herself from worrying about him. Was she crazy?

"Hey, if you are hell bent on avoiding the hospital, can you at least come to my room. I have a travel size first aid kit. We can disinfect that cut and patch it up well and good." He kept on walking like he hadn't heard anything. His fists still clenched. "Hello. Earth to brooding planet." Sakura said. It was like she was talking to a brick wall. Damn him. She was just trying to be nice.

Still nothing. Awesome.

"Did you suddenly go deaf or something?"

Sasuke came to an abrupt stop after that question, turned to his side and faced her. "Listen, I-" his phone buzzed and cut him off. A frustrated groan escaped him as he got it out of his pocket. He actually read the message. His face puckered and Sakura guessed it was bad news.

"Trouble?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself. Her middle name must have been 'nosy' in her past life. "You look a bit disturbed." More than usual that is.

A sigh escaped him before he spoke, "You're so annoying."

Ouch. A knife straight to her heart. How was it that she still cared what he thought of her? It was her silly heart's fault for not putting up better defence barriers. Well not anymore. She was going to invest in putting up titanium armour around her heart from now on.

"I'll reach you by the bus stop." He started walking again. He looked tense and like he had a million thoughts in his mind. He almost looked murderous. Sakura didn't dare ask him lest she be called annoying again.

This night was coming to an end. Good riddance. He had the pictures to prove to Naruto that they went for the dinner. Now they could go their separate ways and never speak of this night again. Or see each other for that matter.

Awkward ramen eating, foul-mouthed rapey guys and gunshots were not things she wanted to remember. It was like the stuff nightmares were made of.

Selfies, peace signs and duck faces were another issue entirely. She knew she was going to act like a total high schooler but a part of her wanted to have a copy of the pictures he had taken.

"Hey." She started. "Once you send the pictures to Naruto, can you also send me some copies?"

He looked at her like she had sprouted a second head. Time to hold her ground.

"What?" She wasn't going to back down, "I'm definitely never going to take such pictures in my life…like ever again, so I want copies. Stop looking at me like that."

"Hn." He shook his head but still started clicking his phone. "Number?" he looked impatient. Too impatient. But still she wasn't backing down.

She gave him her number and felt kind of weird about it. He was probably going to delete it as soon as the silly photos were sent but whatever.

"It's off at the moment, though."

After more awkward walking and even more awkward pretending she didn't have questions for him, Sakura finally reached the bus stop. He was going to wait until she got on before he left. Where he was heading off to, Sakura had no clue.

In two days, classes would begin. She had to keep her mind focussed on that but still her brain itched for knowledge on just who Madara was.

~xoxo~

Sasuke was having a hard time keeping it together. As soon as the pink-haired girl had gotten on the bus and it had driven off, he almost kicked the innocent shelter at the bus stop down. That damn Madara.

Fuck! He had actually made an attempt on his life. And as if that wasn't enough, his brother was in hospital now. Sasuke wanted to see how Itachi was doing but there was a possibility he would run into his father.

Ah fuck it. He was going to risk it. It was his brother after all. He would never admit it to the smug bastard's face but Sasuke cared for him a lot. He didn't show it anymore but he still did.

An overwhelming stab of guilt and shame suddenly hit him like a hurricane. He almost threw up. Once again he had acted selfishly and reckless and now his brother was in hospital.

Sasuke had been ignoring the buzzing of his phone all day, thinking his father was just being his persistent self, only to find out it was to tell him of his brother's hospitalisation. The official report was ruled as an accident but after what had happened to him that night; Sasuke wasn't going to believe that crap.

Madara was making his move.

Getting his car keys was suddenly the least of his problems now. That could wait for a while. Getting his ass to the Konoha Central Hospital was his only thought as Sasuke walked like a mad man down the streets.

~xoxo~

_Sakura's dorm room._

Reaching her dorm room and not finding Ino in wasn't really a surprise to Sakura. The text from earlier had been informative enough. She had to wonder just who it was that had made the blonde so smitten that she was now doing the hunting. He must be something if she was going to these lengths to get him to like her.

Walking to her side of the room, she connected her phone to the charge and started discarding the soiled clothes. She felt gross. She was glad that it was night time because she didn't want to have to explain to people on campus just why she was covered in blood and dirt.

A hot bath was needed. And it wasn't just to wash away the dirt but she hoped it would wash away all the bad that had come with that day. She knew it was late but as soon as her phone had enough battery life, she was going to call her parents and tell them just how much she loved them. Coming close to death has that effect on people.

She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body, slippers were on her feet. As soon as the water started dropping on her- head, hair and all-, she tried to force her brain to forget everything that had occurred that day. Sasuke, crazy beer guy, the guns, Madara, everything.

~xoxo~

_Konoha Central Hospital_

"I don't see what the problem is. I just want to see my brother, I'm not disturbing anyone." Sasuke was losing his patience. Not that he had any to begin with. He and the brunet female by reception had been going back and forth with this. What was her deal?

His night had already gone to shit and now he had to listen to his requests being turned down. What the actual heck? On top of that, the stench of the hospital was getting to him. He hated that smell. Brought up emotions in him that he didn't want to be feeling. Memories he didn't want to dwell on.

"And like I've been telling you, visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow morning." He heard her say the words and he almost swore. Sasuke hated it when things didn't go his way. He almost slammed his hand on the desk in frustration.

He knew of course that wouldn't take him anywhere. Well, except kicked out. He rubbed his temples in exhaustion and lividness. Well, mostly lividness. This whole situation was giving him a damn headache.

Sasuke relaxed his face and stared in her eyes, he had seen his brother use this strategy before. He was sure he could work that particular angle too. What was it, charm, charisma, sex appeal? Who the fuck cared? Whatever it was, sounded simple enough.

"I'll just take a second. I won't linger." His made sure his voice came out low, confident and calm. She looked at him for second and looked like she was thinking of bending the rules for him a little. Sasuke suddenly understood why his brother was always pulling this kind of shit.

"I really ca-"

"It's okay. You can let him through." A familiar voice came from Sasuke's back and his heart raced.

Shit. The young Uchiha wanted to get the hell out of there…fast. "He's with me." The familiar voice added. Always stern, always forceful and domineering-That was who Fugaku Uchiha was.

Sasuke froze for a second but recovered immediately after, though he couldn't stop the insane racing of his heart or how his stomach suddenly felt like overactive worms were having a party in there. He had half expected this to happen. It was just the luck he had that day.

This however, wasn't how he wanted to meet his father. He wasn't ready for that. Coming back to Konoha was seeming more and more like a bad decision. But konoha was where information about Madara was coming from. It was worth it. He kept his eyes on the female in front of him and waited for her to say something.

"Room 56." The brunet said. About damn time.

Sasuke didn't even have time for a thank you and he definitely didn't have time to turn back and face his father. He didn't want any father-son interaction. At least not yet. That didn't stop the older Uchiha from calling out to him though.

"Sasuke!" At the sound of his voice, the tormented younger man stopped dead in his tracks. His hands were in tight fists but he kept his gaze straight ahead. "How long do you plan on acting like this? For how long will you avoid me?"

Honestly, Sasuke didn't have an answer for that. He didn't know when the shame and the hate would pass or if it was possible for him to look at his father without being reminded of all the ways that life had changed. How he had failed to stop _it_ from happening. Too much shit had happened. Until he could forgive himself, he wasn't sure if he could face his father.

"Despite what you might be thinking or feeling, it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. You were just a kid. Why won't yo-"

"Don't." his voice was low but it was laced with a warning that he didn't want to have that particular conversation. Not in a hospital of all places. Not when…

No. he couldn't do this now. He started walking in the white hospital halls looking for room 56. His father and whatever he had planned on voicing out ignored for the time being. Itachi was waiting.

When he didn't hear footsteps behind him, Sasuke relaxed.

The ground floor was bigger than Sasuke had imagined but he managed to find his way to room 56. He lingered outside for a second before he entered. The beauty of having money, Itachi's bed was just alone in the room.

Sasuke had expected him to be high on pain meds or something but his hotshot brother was sitting up on the bed with his phone in his hand, the huge pillows propped behind him. He had a cast on his left hand and a Band-Aid on his forehead. He must have heard footsteps approaching because he raised his head and wore the smile that Sasuke knew so well.

"Hello, little brother." Itachi said, putting his phone away, "Are those tears I see? Don't tell me you were that worried about me." Smug as ever. That was his brother'

"Hn." Sasuke didn't think that question merited a response. He didn't cry. He hadn't cried since… no, he wasn't going to think of that. Not now. "You look terrible."

"I bet I still look better than you though." Itachi smirked. Even when he was in bandages and a cast he still had that Itachi coolness and charm.

Sasuke scoffed. Look better? With those bruises on his face? He wishes. Okay fine, so he wasn't half bad but Sasuke wasn't going to admit that and fuel his already over-confident elder brother. He would much rather be shot at.`

Sasuke hadn't come to the hospital to talk looks and bicker.

"What happened?" The young Uchiha needed to know the whole story. Itachi was never a reckless driver. He needed all the details.

"Car accident." He didn't even avert his eyes. Itachi was one good liar. Sasuke had to give him that. Must come with his work.

"Okay, that's what you are telling everyone else but this is me you're talking to. What happened?" he wasn't going to let his brother keep this from him. He could smell Madara all over this 'accident'.

Itachi sighed and looked at his brother, the smile he had been wearing disappeared and he looked like the killer shark lawyer he was. "You're too smart for your own good little brother, you know that?"

"…" He just stood near the bed and waited for his brother to continue.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Someone cut my car brakes."

He knew it. "Madara." He gritted his teeth in anger. That son of a bitch was going to get what he deserved.

"We don't know that for sure."

Sasuke almost laughed. Was his brother serious on that or was he just trying to keep more things from him? Either way, hearing those words was funny. He just moved his jacket away from his body and showed his brother the bloody patch that was there before he lifted his shirt.

Itachi's eyes widened, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Madara's handiwork. So yeah, we know for sure." Sasuke proceeded to narrate all that had happened that night, omitting how he had been with a certain pink haired girl and taking photos like a fucking pussy.

"That bastard." Itachi looked upset as he listened to Sasuke speak. Sasuke couldn't have agreed more. Madara was a bastard. Scum. "He won't get away with this. Coming after me was one thing, involving you will get him a one way ticket to hell. I'll make him pay. Mark my words."

Now his brother was getting on board and feeling how Sasuke had been feeling for the past four years. Rage might as well have been his middle name.

"That cut looks bad. Have you had that checked out? You don't want it to be infected." Itachi's voice was caring with just the right amount of concern.

The younger Uchiha scoffed at his brother's last words. He sounded just like that woman. An image of her pink hair stalked his mind and he pushed it aside.

"It's fine." How many times would he have to say that phrase before people stopped worrying about him? He needed Madara dealt with, not people being all touchy-feely with him. Screw feelings.

His big brother just shook his head; clearly he understood Sasuke and what he wanted from the world. "On a more awkward note, have you seen father?" Itachi asked as he picked up his phone.

Damn it, Itachi.

Of course, this conversation was bound to follow. Itachi was one sneaky bastard. Sasuke sighed as he walked towards the one chair that was in the room.

This was going to be one long night. He should have just walked out and left…but he didn't. He dropped his exhausted body to the chair and found the older brother smiling at him, waiting to have the discussion about their father and how Sasuke should stop avoiding him.

Sasuke just stared back and his dark eyes told the elder Uchiha just what his stance on the subject was.

For some strange reason Sasuke found himself looking at his phone. He somehow found himself in his pictures folder and he looked at one particular picture for longer than he intended. He had already sent the blonde fool the pictures so it was time to get rid of them, right? His finger was now hovering on the delete button but somehow he just couldn't get himself to do it.

What the hell was going on with him?

~xoxo~

The hot shower had really helped Sakura. Her hair was washed and she had felt good about it. It was a necessity after the events of that day. Her phone had booted and she had even called home. Her mother was happy to hear from her and she didn't mind that it was late or that they had talked in the morning. Her father was also just as thrilled.

As soon as she'd cut the line, she received a message from a strange number. A look at the content and she knew who it was. Going against her better judgement she decided to save the number. What harm could come out of it?

Uchiha Sasuke would just be another contact in her phonebook that she didn't dial.

Looking at the photos, Sakura had to admit that they had come out pretty good. She genuinely looked like she had been having fun. She couldn't help but smile. As she reached the last one, the one that Sasuke had been in, her smile dropped. Anyone who looked at it would have said the pair in the photo was a couple. Sasuke wasn't smiling, but he didn't look like he was upset either. The guy was a pretty good pretender. Naruto would surely hand over the car keys after seeing it.

Sakura was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed in front of her and dressed in pink female boxer shorts and a white tank-top when the door swung open and Ino walked in. She was wearing jeans for once and Sakura had to blink thrice to prove she wasn't imagining it. What was going on?

"What's with that expression? Close your mouth before a fly goes in, Forehead." Ino asked as she threw her handbag on the bed and dropped her whole body on it. "You look like you've seen a ghost, like seriously."

A ghost would have been believable, Ino in jeans was inconceivable. This had to be a sign of the apocalypse or something. What was next, Hinata becoming a stripper?

"So, how was your day?" the blonde asked but didn't even wait for a response before she continued, "Mine sucked. After hours of stalk-…um researching and pretending I care about Picasso, I still failed. Can you believe it? I found out from that guy's friends what he likes and it still didn't take me any closer to getting him. I wore jeans for him. Look at me, I look like a freaking hippie."

"Um, hang in there?" Sakura said. Really, she just didn't know what else to say. She wasn't used to offering comfort to attention seeking divas. People who wore jeans were not hippies.

"Hang in there? Wow, Forehead. That's you big advice? My life is practically crashing down around me and you come up with 'hang in there'." Ino lifted herself on her elbows and looked at Sakura. "That's so you."

Drama queen much.

Sakura's first instinct was to roll her eyes. While other people were being shot at and almost assaulted by silver-haired crazies, the blonde actually thought putting on jeans was a life-crashing thing. Sakura had to stop herself from laughing out loud. She knew then that sharing how her night had actually been, with the overly dramatic Ino no less, would just enrage the blonde and make her feel outshined, which in turn would make her even bitchier.

"Yeah, I don't know what you want me to say."

"I want you to tell me that I'm gorgeous, that any man would be lucky to date me. Tell me that artist is blind and doesn't know what he's missing."

Sakura shook her head. Of course that was what the blonde wanted.

"You are gorgeous, any man would be lucky to have you. The artist is blind and doesn't know what he is missing." She said in a dry voice, all the while rolling her eyes.

"Well, it doesn't carry as much weight now. You're no help" she slumped back to the bed. "Why is he playing so hard to get. It's not even like he is super-hot or anything. If it was Sasuke I would understand."

At the mention of Sasuke's name Sakura stilled. How was the Uchiha doing? Had he treated his wound with the care it required or was he being a total man and letting it take care of itself? Sakura bet he was doing the latter.

She didn't even realise that she was staring at the picture of her and him until Ino asked, "What have you got there?" the inquisitive blonde was already by Sakura's bedside.

"Nothing." She said too quickly and too suspicious for her liking. Crap. She hid her phone behind her and feigned innocence, "You know no one texts me. Just go back to your bed."

The blonde wasn't deterred, the expression on her face looked like she had gotten more curious. In the split of a second, Ino dove for the phone and grabbed hold of it. Sakura tried to get it back and the two wrestled and rolled on the bed but Ino held on.

"Ino, quit being immature and pass me my phone. Seriously if you don't let go I'll bite you." The owner of the phone threatened.

The blonde laughed, "Biting? Really? Who…is…being immature…now?" she was getting breathless but still fought even harder and wouldn't let go of the phone with the incriminating pictures of how her roommate had spent her night.

"Ino-pig…come on, let go" This was taking it too far. The blonde had no right. Phones are private and it should be made illegal to look at someone else's phone without permission. Of course any other day, the pinkete wouldn't have minded Ino's snooping but today was a whole different day. Sakura didn't want to go into details about how Sasuke was forced to dine her.

Ino gasped and Sakura's heart sank. It was too late.

"You little slut." Ino said and Sakura stopped fighting. "You have been holding out on me." The nosy girl broke free of Sakura's grip and stood up. She was panting and holding the phone so close to her face with her mouth gaping open. "Spill…now."

"Just drop it, okay." Sakura begged.

"Like hell. This is juicy news. Give me all the dets." She swiped in the other pictures, her eyes popping out as she did. "How long has this been going on? I can't believe you are dating that piece of eye candy. I hate you so much right now."

"Give me back my phone. It's not like that." Sakura also stood up.

"Yeah, because Sasuke is the kind of guy who takes selfies with just anyone." Ino clearly wasn't buying it.

So Sakura had two options, to tell her crazy roommate how she had ended up eating ramen with Sasuke and then have Ino laugh at her for only scoring a date through blackmail or she could let her think in the wrong and crazy way she was already thinking.

"He's your boyfriend, admit it."

"Yes." No. Oh mother of lies and deceit. She did not just admit to that.

"Someone is gonna have their cherry popped soon." Ino said as she threw the phone at Sakura. "I didn't see this coming…at all. You and the prince of indifference."

Sakura caught her phone, stared at it and then dropped to her bed. She felt sick. That was one lie that no one should ever tell. Boyfriend?

What had she done?

~xoxo~

**Author's Notes: **First of all, **sorry for the later update. **Life got in the way.

And **thank you** so much for the feedback. You guys are so amazing for taking your time to follow and review. I really appreciate it, so keep them coming. Most people only read stories that have a lot of reviews, do continue reviewing. Even just 'good' or 'boring' or 'funny' would be appreciated .

So, I don't know what happens when someone is shot or how painful a glass bottle cut is, so most of this stuff is just me 'winging it', if something came off as unbelievable tell me.

**Endorsements: **This week I want to introduce you guys to another Author. Check out **Aria206. **Her story **The Uchiha Family, **is one I'm following at the moment. It's for those of you who want a post chapter 700 SasuSaku and Sarada fic. Its cutesy, fluff-filled and really well written.

If you don't mind me recommending really heavy lemon or dark fics-with like 7000+ word chapters- do tell me. I have some other Authors I know you will enjoy. (Though some of them are ItaSaku or KakaSaku writers.)

**Reviews are needed, so leave me one…or two :Ds**

**-Writophrenic**


	7. What about your girlfriend?

**Author's Note: I'm back my lovelies (did that sound as weird to you as it did to me?) *cringes* Creepy. Anyway last chapter for the year and all. I have a surprise for you below. Enjoy. *holds breath and hopes not to have rotten tomatoes and cabbages thrown at me***

**Ps: if you see typos and stuff don't hesitate to tell me. I'm always editing these little bitches once I see some errors.**

**~xoxo~**

If you have so many thoughts and worries on your mind, the best way to not lose one's marbles is to simply read a book or watch a movie. Studies show that it helps. That was the exact same thought that a certain pink-haired girl had.

Knock. Knock.

Sakura paused the movie she was watching and felt irritated. Who was it now? Ino was out. Yet again. She got off from the bed and her toes curled as soon as they made contact with the cold floor. She knew she should have worn some socks. It was freezing. Walking on tiptoe-dressed in a pink chemise she had bought on impulse-she made it to the door and opened it. She sighed.

Of course it was him. It was bound to happen.

They say when you experience something for long enough your reaction to it reduces over time until you eventually don't react anymore-Like you develop some kind of immunity to it. Sakura seemed to believe it in that moment more than ever. Because when she found an onyx-eyed handsome man by her door, she didn't even feel any different.

"What are you doing here?" she asked-her voice flat and uninterested. All she wanted was to get back to her movie. A part of her knew he was here to confront her about the little lie she had told Ino, but she was prepared. She had heard his girlfriend had been mad about it but the pair had worked it out. Good for them. Was he here to threaten her or scare her? Whatever it was, she didn't care.

"Can I come in?" Sasuke asked. His hair looked a mess. Like he had spent most of his time running his fingers in it. He was in a dark blue jean and a white tee with a jacket. Sakura suddenly felt too self-aware as she remembered what she was dressed in. Yeah, she should have thrown on a dressing gown or something before foolishly opening the door. She looked provocative and inviting.

"No offense but I don't really have time for this. Not really in the mood for a chat with Naruto's cold roommate." Yes, it was back to referring to him as Naruto's roommate. She was firm as she said it. Their business or whatever you can call what Naruto pulled was over. "I know my mistake, I already feel like crap so, you can just leave now. Tell her am I'm sorry too but I don't want to talk." she was serious.

"Hn." The corner of his lips curved up. "I didn't come here to talk." He pushed himself in and took her in his arms right before he banged the door closed with his foot.

"Whoa…w-what are you-" his lips descended on hers and cut off whatever it was she wanted to say. Sakura wanted to resist but with his hand on her back and the other holding her head as he worked her lips to a sizzling surrender, all she ended up doing was melting in his arms. He was molding her to his will and she let him. The taste of him intoxicated her and she felt like her head was spinning.

His lips were expert, relentless…a torturous pleasure she took with everything she had. She was lost in the taste, smell and feel of him. When he moved his hands lower and gripped her firm butt, Sakura gave out an involuntary moan right before he lifted her up. Her strong legs wrapped around his waist and the kiss that had started out almost innocent took on a desperate turn. It became…savage, boggling her mind and senses.

She felt him move and didn't know what was going on until he dropped on the soft bed with her legs still around him and his weight crushed her feminine frame. She wasn't sure if he'd taken her to her bed or Ino's. She almost laughed as she thought of Ino's reaction is she ever found out. His experienced hands moved to her thighs and caressed them until a fire started building up in her. Her body felt heated and she almost started squirming under him. He raised himself long enough to stare into her now hazy green eyes, right before his lips dropped to her neck and he lightly bit her. The light pressure and pain sent a shiver down her body and she gave out a needy moan. How were these feelings possible? She wasn't too far gone though and like the female she was, she had some reservations. She didn't just want to be his sperm chamber. A one-off thing to be screwed and then forgotten. No, she deserved better than that.

"W-wait…wait." She said it, her voice breathless and needy. It was hard to form words or sentences with his hands on her flaming body. Igniting her up from the inside out. Starting a tempest that couldn't be stopped until he gave her the one thing no man had ever given her. "W-we…we can't…do…this." Despite her words she was writhing under him. enjoying the contact. He had a girlfriend plus why had he suddenly shown up here and pounced on her with no explanation? She needed clarity before they crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed. "Your…your girlfriend?"

"Hn." Sasuke stopped his exploration of her body and stared deep into her eyes. Sakura couldn't miss the lust in his. Was that how hers were as well? "I thought you told people you're my girl." he kissed her playfully and took her bottom lip into his mouth before lightly biting it. Sakura shuddered. "Do you want me to stop?" he caressed the inside of her thigh and traced his hand higher until it rested closer to the one area Sakura couldn't believe she actually wanted to be touched…to be explored. His hard fingers lightly grazed her through her cotton panties. She took in a breath and her legs jerked as her eyes almost turned back to the back of her heard. "Well, do you?" Without any thought as to what she was doing she lifted her hips to him shamelessly. It felt so darn good.

A smirk formed on his face as he got his answer and kissed her again. His tongue intent on driving her wild. He traced kisses on her face and when his returned to kiss and lick her neck, she threw her head back and moaned. "Oh…Sasuke." She felt him…everywhere. She lifted her hips again and her toes almost curled at the friction. It was ecstasy.

Sasuke groaned. "Fuck…" he raised his hand and took one of her breasts in it. He lightly squeezed it; Sakura moaned and raised her hips again. The friction was good for him too. "Goddammit…Forehead." He moved and her body shook.

_forehead? _

Say what? Did he just…why would he…

"Forehead…" he groaned again.

"Forehead!" Sakura heard Ino's voice through the haze. "For Christ's sake, wake up, Forehead."

Oh come on.

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she found the sheets wet with sweat and tangled up around her. What in the hell? Seriously? She was in a state of confusion as she looked around the room and saw Ino towering over her near the bed. She groaned as she realized it had all been a sick perverted dream. Sweet mother.

"First day of class and you oversleep. What's wrong with you?" Ino was already dressed and stood with her legs apart looking down at her sleepy roommate. "You're lucky I'm a nice person or I would've simply let you sleep. Come on, we're gonna be late for our first lecture."

What the hell kind of dream was that? She knew she felt guilty for the lie she had told Ino two days ago but this was going too far. The Jade-eyed girl has spent the past two days expecting the estranged Uchiha to come banging on her door. Cursing her out or something. It had been a hectic time for her. She should have taken it back. She knew it was the best solution. She should've come clean to Ino that it was all just a lie but she kept quiet. For two whole days. She knew what Ino would say about it. A part of her was happy about having such a 'win' over Ino…even if it was total and utter lie. Shallow. She knew it.

Sakura felt ashamed as she lazily opened her eyes and stared back at the somewhat annoyed Ino. "Fine…I'm up." Her voice was throaty and still sleepy. Time for a cold shower. She had to wash off the feel of dream-Sasuke.

"Finally." Ino said.

Sakura had to blink a few more times before the sleep was completely out of her eyes.

"Okay, so I don't mean to pry but isn't the insane absence of your boyfriend a bad sign for a relationship so new?" Ino asked as Sakura go out of bed and started making it. "Aren't you worried?"

Oh oh.

"What do you mean?" she knew exactly what the blonde meant but playing dumb worked for most people in almost all situations.

"You know what I mean. It's been two days and he hasn't dropped by to see you. Is he ashamed of you or something? Is it a meet-and-screw-in-the-dark-while-pretend-you-don't-know-each-other-in-the-light kind of relationship?"

"No, of course not. He's just busy. I texted him last night, he's got a lot going on." Liar Liar, pants on fire. She could make a career out of this.

"Too bad. It's what you get for dating a guy with the personality of a rock." Ino laughed to herself. "Can you imagine him in bed? Talk about a cold, hard fu-" Sakura threw her pillow at the nasty blonde before she could finish. She remembered her vivid dream and her face heated up.

"Judging by your face, you totally just did." Ino laughed, "Soon it will be a reality. I want all the dets of your hot sex life of course."

Sakura ignored her. If only she knew. "I'm going to shower." She walked to the towel hanging on the closet door then froze. "Wait, we?" She remembered how Ino said 'we're gonna be late.' "We have some similar classes?" she held her breath.

Please say no. Please say no.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" a devious smile formed on Ino's face, "I wanna be a doctor too."

Sakura's spirit dropped. It wasn't bad enough they were roommates now they would be classmates too?

Un-frigging-believable.

~xoxo~

Sakura had thought finding out that Ino was going to be her classmate would be the shock of the day. So, imagine her surprise once she made it to her first class and came face to face with one redhead she didn't want to ever run into again. The redhead stared her down like she was something that the cat dragged in. Clearly this was not the pink-haired girl's day.

What was next? Getting her period in class? She wouldn't be surprised.

"Forehead, stop spacing out." Ino nudged her and snapped her out of it.

"Oh, sorry." The pair made it to the seats in the middle. The redhead sat behind them and Sakura was aware of the girl's every action. The redhead sat with a tall, slender female with green eyes and really long auburn hair. Sakura turned and found them staring back at her. She abruptly faced the front just as the lecturer entered.

"Good morning. I'm professor Sarutobi. Kurenai Sarutobi and I'll be taking you in Psychology." The female introduced herself and judging from the reactions of the male students Sakura had to admit the woman was beautiful. With her height and figure, she could easily have been a model. Her black, shoulder-length hair looked unruly and she wore red lipstick and purple eye shadow.

Sakura immediately knew this was one lecturer she wanted to impress and be in her good books. She looked inspirational, just like her aunt Tsunade.

Like a bad dream, Sakura's phone rang and her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She quickly tried to get it and turn it off. It was Naruto calling. Talk about bad timing. She fumbled with it for a second and finally managed to switch it off.

"I understand it's the 21st century and we all own phones but unless you want to be banned from my class and consider yourself flunked, you'll all remember to keep your phones on silent and preferably turned off…at all times. No exceptions. Am I clear?" Professor Kurenai said as she looked from face to face. She obviously knew where the sound had come from but deliberately stared at everyone.

The whole class looked at Sakura like she had farted or something. She heard snickering behind her and when she turned she found the redhead and her friend whispering to each other and smiling.

"Looks like we know who the class clown will be." The girl with Karin said in a whisper but Sakura heard it all. Karin laughed and so did anyone who had heard. This was college and not high school. Sakura didn't have time for mean girls. This was her fresh start. Ino turned and gave the two girls one perfectly-manicured middle finger. Sakura's eyes widened and their faces dropped.

"Thanks, Pig." She said.

"Don't let this fool you, Forehead. No one gets to be mean to you excerpt me." Ino said as she got out her laptop and acted like nothing had happened. Sakura couldn't help but smile. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn that Ino-pig had just stood up for her.

The lecturer continued telling them about the course, how her grading system worked and the importance of attendance. She explained to them all they needed to know and all the required books and reading for her class and Sakura wasn't surprised when one of them was a book that professor Kurenai had published herself.

So, Sakura's first impression hadn't gone so well. She dreaded to think of how the rest of the day might go.

~xoxo~

Sasuke was lying on his bed shirtless and on his stomach. He hadn't had a restful night at all. That damn Naruto hadn't yet texted back with the location of his keys. He was going to kill the blonde once he got back. Goddam prank-loving fool. On a more positive note, Itachi had been discharged and though he still had a cast on his hand, at least he was no longer in the hospital. He hadn't had any awkward run-ins with his father at least. The youngest Uchiha had spent most of the last two days with his brother and a smaller part texting and calling the idiot who was keeping his car keys captive.

Sasuke had spent a lot of time discussing the Madara case. According to Itachi, none of Madara's men who were in custody had taken the deal that was being offered to them. What this meant is that neither the police force nor Sasuke were anywhere near being close to catching the mad man. It infuriated Sasuke. Each second that piece of shit was free was a second that guilt and hate were added to Sasuke's already beaten down conscious.

On top of all that his brother actually expected him to be going for classes. Give him a fucking break. That wasn't going to happen. He was dragged out of his thoughts once he heard a key turn in the door. He got up and sat on the bed. He put on the shirt that was on the bed. A second later Naruto walked in wearing his signature grin. Looking at the blonde so happy and airy made Sasuke sick. Did the guy eat unicorns and rainbows for breakfast or something? Who the fuck smiles this early in the morning?

"Hi, roomie." Naruto walked to his bed and dropped the backpack on the floor before he jumped carelessly on the bed. His shoes still on his feet.

"Hn." Sasuke couldn't believe the balls on that guy. Hi roomie? Hi fucking roomie? Was the idiot high? After the shit he had pulled, he was lucky to still be alive. Time to remedy that was still there though.

"Where are my keys?" no time for greetings.

"Huh?" the blonde turned his face to find his roommate giving him a cold stare. He looked like he didn't understand what the question was.

"My keys…now."

"What are you-" Naruto furrowed his forehead in confusion until realization hit, "Oh. That." He moved his body off the bed until he could reach the backpack. Opening one of the side pockets, Naruto reached in and took out Sasuke's keys.

"You son of a bitch." Sasuke cursed. He was tempted to walk over to Naruto's bed and pound his stupid face in. For three days he had been searching for the keys in the room when in fact the fool had them with him all along. That was one fucked up ploy to pull on anyone.

"What?" he tossed the keys to the fuming Uchiha. He even had the nerve to still be smiling like an arse. "Turn that frown upside down."

Sasuke didn't even say anything; he simply got up slowly and walked over to Naruto's bed. If he went to jail for what he was about to do, it would all be well worth it.

"I don't like that look in your eyes, you creep." Naruto got up from his bed and started backing away. "You're scaring me."

Yeah. He better be scared. He was breathing his last air. Sasuke was slowly closing in and was about to place his hands on the poor blonde when they both heard a knock at the door. They froze and turned to look at it. Sasuke was still livid and Naruto swiftly side stepped him and ran to the door.

"Hold that thought." He smiled like he hadn't a care in the world.

Sasuke still couldn't believe the guy's nerve. Did he have balls of steel or just a psychotic death wish?

"This is so weird." He heard Naruto say as he closed the door and entered holding a small package. "There was no one there, just this. It's for you." He walked to Sasuke and handed him the package, "You lucky dog, you already have admirers. Not fair."

Sasuke could think of a thousand possibilities as to who the package might be from but none of them was an admirer. He grabbed it and held it away from his body like it contained a bomb or something. After what had happened that day he really couldn't put it past Madara to try and blow him up.

"Go on, open it. I bet it has some sexy underwear in it." the overly-enthusiastic blonde stood by his friends side once he placed the package on the bed. Sasuke gave Naruto a side glare warning him to give him some space, "Not a chance buddy. I want to see."

Sasuke slowly unwrapped the 'present' and opened it. As soon as he saw the contents, his eyes widened.

"What the hell?" Naruto wasn't always bright but he could clearly see what was in the box. It made his stomach turn and he almost got sick.

The raven-haired boy hadn't expected it to escalate this quickly. He knew the world was full of some sick and twisted bastards but this was taking it to the next level and going ape with it. What the actual fucking hell?

"Sasuke," Naruto's voice was full of confusion, "what the hell is this? What did you do?" The package had a bloody chicken head with pictures of Sakura and a note that had the warning words that made Sasuke even more pissed off.

_Keep digging and it'll be your little girlfriend's head the next time._

Fucking unbelievable! They knew his frigging room number? Sasuke quickly closed the package and the sickening feeling he initially had was quickly replace by a raging hatred for whatever sicko was behind this. He obviously knew it was Madara.

"Bastard, I asked you a question. Why is that box full of Sakura-chan's pictures and a dead fucking chicken?" Naruto asked. He was clearly losing it. Sasuke couldn't blame him. Most of those pictures were from the last two days and some were even dated that very same day, "Goddammit answer me!"

"Get off my case, will you?" he was trying to think. Had they been stalking them since that day at the ramen joint? If so, just how many men did Madara have under his control? No one who got close to Sasuke was safe.

"Get off your case? Are you fucking kidding me? I leave for three days and already you get Sakura involved in your dangerous shit. What the hell kind of game are you playing?"

"Hn." He didn't have time for stupid questions. He needed solutions. Sasuke ran his hands through his hair and tried to block out the blondes ranting. He knew the magnitude of what had just happened. He wasn't going to have any more blood on his hands. What should he do?

"Don't you dare try that 'hn' shit with me, you bastard. Tell me what the hell is going on?" Naruto glared at his roommate. Sasuke got the feeling if he didn't share something, all hell would break loose.

"I ca-" Naruto roughly grabbed hold of Sasuke's shirt and pushed him hard against the wall between their beds. Sasuke was taken aback.

"If I were you, I'd think long and hard about what my next words are. When I ran into you at that party I had many questions for you but I let it go because you didn't want to talk about anything. Well, tough shit. I want answers. Now!" Naruto hissed.

"Get off me!" Uchiha tried to struggle and push the blonde away from him but Naruto was too fired up. Sakura must have been his driving force.

"I'm willing to forgive anything you do but if you dare hurt Sakura-chan, I'll kill you. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?!" Sasuke could hear the conviction in the blonde's voice. He was definitely not going to let this go. The look in the blonde's blue eyes almost undid the cold Uchiha.

Sasuke had been alone in the darkness for so long, maybe it was time to let someone in. allow someone to pull him out somehow. Maybe if he wasn't going at it alone, he could eventually make progress. This, however, was one story that he wasn't going to get into sober. He needed a strong drink.

"Fine" Sasuke gave up the struggle and Naruto slowly loosened his grip, leaving the shirt wrinkled and somehow stretched. Naruto stepped away and Sasuke took a bed. He sat with his legs apart and his elbows resting on his knees and his head drooping slightly.

There were some events he wished he could forget or at the very least change. Forcing himself to think about it now brought a bitter taste in his mouth and formed a lump in his throat. Why couldn't he move on and let it go like his brother? For Sasuke, it still hurt like it had happened yesterday.

"Does this have anything to do with why you ran away?" Naruto asked once he settled down on his own bed.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. For the first time in a long time Sasuke was going to tell his story. "5 years ago…"

~xoxo~

After anatomy class with some weird, youth-obsessed lecturer called Mighty guy, it was finally time for lunch. Sakura had received a text from Naruto during class telling her he was back and they should have lunch together. She was beyond ecstatic. Finally she gets to see him. She couldn't wait.

Ino had said bye to her and told her she was going to check out the art department. Two guesses who she was going to see. Poor girl didn't know when to quit.

Sakura was supposed to meet Naruto by some lawn near the computer laps. She quickly rushed on her way, a huge smile on her face. She couldn't wait to see the goofball. Her laptop bag was really weighting down on her shoulder as she rushed. She didn't care.

The lawns were suddenly in view as she saw many people sitting down. Most were surrounded by books while some were just eating or even napping. So this was college, huh? She recognized a familiar face lounging on the lawns with his hand on his forehead and a notebook opened on his chest. She nudged him with her leg slightly until he moved his hand and looked up at her.

"Hey, Shika." She smiled at him and he lazily smiled back. Somethings just never change. Shikamaru had been the brightest kid in school but with his insane laziness and lack of pushing himself he always came off as average. She remembered going to him and asking for help with topics that she didn't understand.

"Hey, bothersome woman. Have you come to ask for help with an assignment already?" she noticed that he had pierced his ears. Wow.

She gave a dry laugh, "Not just yet. First day and all. Where is Choji?" Choji was Shikamaru's closest friend and the two almost always hanged out. Well, back in high school that is.

"Out eating." He had elevated himself slightly on his elbows. "In the library of all places."

"Why aren't you with him?"

"Too bothersome. I needed a nap. Speaking of which…" he lay back down and covered his face with his book. "Later Saks."

Sakura laughed. Yes, somethings never change. She went on her way, seeing more familiar faces. As she neared the computer labs, she saw Naruto's blonde head and she picked up her pace. He was standing with someone she didn't bothering caring about.

"Naruto!" she called and waved at him. He looked at her over the shoulder of the guy he was with and his serious face suddenly became the grinning goof she knew and loved.

"Sakura-chan." He sidestepped his companion and ran towards her. Sakura rushed towards him with open arms and a genuine smile. She just couldn't contain it. The two met in a warm hug and just stayed like that for a while, "I've missed you so much, Sakura-chan."

"Me too." And she meant it. They broke out of the hug and Sakura punched him near the shoulder, he winced.

"Ouch, what's that for?"

"You ass, that's for forcing me to have ramen with that douchebag Sasuke. You suck. I wanted to kill you." She hooked her arm with his and immediately forgave him.

The blonde laughed and she couldn't figure out why. "Was that bastard mean to you again? Should I hide all his underwear next?" Naruto teased and Sakura laughed. That would be a funny one.

"Do that and I won't be held responsible for what happens to you." The pinkette turned from Naruto and found herself facing Sasuke. This was her first time seeing him since the night of the shooting. He had his hands in his pockets and was walking towards them. Okay, why was he here?

"I hope you don't mind, Sasuke is joining us for lunch." Naruto said as the unconcerned Uchiha stood in front of them. Had the two become besties all of a sudden? Why wasn't Sasuke with his weird friends, what were their names again, Jugo and Suigetsu? Sakura didn't like the vibe she was getting from Naruto and Sasuke.

This was going to be one weird lunch. Sakura just knew it.

~xoxo~

**Author's Note: **I sure hope you enjoyed your festivities. Whatever it is you celebrate . Mine kinda sucked some major ass. Nothing fancy happened. I think Santa is a selfish asshole…stupid fat guy. He didn't bring me a single freaking present, not even coal. But you guys can give me a belated gift, right? **(**hint hint: **Reviews and follows)**

**Endorsements: **this week I'm giving you an author who inspires me to work harder and push myself. Her SasuSaku Stories are epic…with some of the longest chapters I've ever read on ff. Check out

PORCELAIN. MEMORIES

Anyway what did you think of this chapter? Especially the start (pervy-troll face on)….

Please do leave me a **REVIEW. (Even if you're a guest.) **think of it as a present to me


	8. The spy who stalked me

There are things that you tell yourself you won't think about. Things that once they cross your mind get you all hot and bothered. Sakura hated the idea of a certain stygian-eyed male getting to her but that didn't stop her body from still reacting to him and his presence. She'd just heard Naruto mention that the stoic Uchiha would be joining them for lunch and her mind immediately went to her naughty dream from earlier. She knew her face would betray her so she took Naruto's arm and faced away from the black-haired man who stood with hands in his pockets. Sakura noticed he was rather fond of that act.

"Naruto, what the hell is going on?" she whispered so that only the blonde could hear, "Are you trying to set me up with that guy? Is that it?" she had to ask. First it was the stupid ramen outing and now they were inviting him for lunch. She wasn't dumb, it was all rather suspicious to her.

Naruto scratched the back of his hair sheepishly. "Sakura-chan…you're overthinking this. He doesn't have that many friends and the three of us used to be close back then remember?"

"Close?" she scoffed. The three of them had been lap partners at one point. Growing crystals and mold on bread was fun, yes, but that didn't make them close.

Sasuke used to be a quiet boy even back then. Except that he wasn't so much of a prick. The Sasuke she remembered from then actually used to smile, especially when it came to talking about his brother. He looked up to him and Sakura, like the rest of the female pupils, was drawn to the dark haired handsome Uchiha.

He was nice when she talked to him and all but they were not close. He wasn't close with anyone. People flocked to him like bees to nectar but he kept to himself. Sure, one day he'd helped her out with a group of bullies who were making fun of her hair and she foolishly believed she was in love with him. He'd walked her home that day and in her eyes he sparkled like a freaking angel but that was it.

She saw it now. Truth be told, she saw it the day she poured her heart to him and he walked away like he didn't even hear her. Each step he took away from her that day made her feel like a blunt knife was being jabbed in her chest, torturously slow and repetitively. Twisting and turning it until she wanted to scream out loud. In fact, she did scream…and cry. A lot. Her pillow that night could testify to it. It got soaked with her tears and loss and when he never returned to school the following morning, when no one knew where he'd disappeared to, she swore to herself and to anyone who'd ever hurt over a guy that she would never ever again cry because of someone who has a penis. She hadn't thought of liking anyone since.

"Well, he's already here so what's done is done." Naruto smiled at her. "Now, play nice."

"I can't do that, Naruto." She whispered. She wasn't going to go for this lunch if he was joining them. For all she knew, psycho ninjas might attack them next. Being shot at was crazy and bad enough. "There are things you don't understand. We shouldn't tr-"

"Yoohoo! Saks!" Ino's voice sounded and Sakura's heart sank to her feet. Seriously? Now? "Hey, Forehead." The blonde was waving and making her way towards them. This wasn't good. Ino would undoubtedly make a comment about the pinkette's relationship with Sasuke. That shouldn't be allowed to happen. Sakura hastily dragged Naruto and walked towards Sasuke. Linking her other arm with the Uchiha's, she started rushing away.

"I'm starving. Who wants some ramen? I do. I don't have any more classes for the day. We should go in town. Now." she talked like a crazy person.

"Wait…isn't that-" Naruto looked back and saw the blonde still rushing towards them.

"Nope. Let's just go. Now."

"Sakura, what's going on?" Naruto asked, his eyes still fixed on Ino. She'd stopped waving and stared at them as Sakura dragged the boys away.

"What's with all these questions? You wanted lunch, I'm giving you lunch." She breathed a sigh of relief once they were away from Ino. That was close. Sakura knew all these secrets and lying would eventually blow up in her face. For now though, she couldn't get herself to come clean. She almost punched herself in the gut for what she was doing. Ino was her friend-sort of- and what's the worst that could happen with coming clean? She'd be made fun of but what was new? Ino always made fun of her.

She was so lost in her internal struggle that when Sasuke stiffened beside her, she remembered and realised that their arms were linked. It was pretty weird of her to be reacting to him when all that they were doing was walking side by side. When the jolts of electricity kept moving from him to her and she felt that she might go insane with it, Sakura abruptly unlinked from him. They were already away from Ino and it was getting too heated holding on to him. Naruto looked at her for a second when he felt her tense.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah. Perfect." she smiled at the male blonde and tried with all her might to ignore the other male. Why was her body always acting so weird?

This was going to be one lunch she would much rather avoid.

~xoxo~

The lunch at Ichiraku's was everything Sakura thought it would be-weird but fun. She was seated next to Naruto with Sasuke opposite them. Naruto was slurping sodas, laughing and joking like it was a freaking comedy show. Sasuke was getting stares from all the females in the vicinity-those that were of the right age of course. What did they see in him? Sakura wondered. Who was she kidding; the guy was sexy as heck. She had to give credit where it was due and boy was it due.

While Naruto talked and shared stories like it was The Oprah Winfrey show, Sasuke's 'dialogue' included; stares of condescension, scoffs of indifference and a hell of a lot of 'hn'. Whatever that was. All Sakura knew was that the lunch date would have been so much better if he wasn't around. Why did he even bother tagging along if he was just going to be acting like a cold ass? Was he just here to mess with her and make breathing difficult?

They talked about everything. Well, Naruto talked, Sakura talked and Sasuke, well, Sasuke was Sasuke.

"So, this was…um fun." Sakura said once they had finished eating and the bill was paid, "I have to get back now. I feel like going to see my aunt."

The boys shared a look and Naruto shifted uncomfortably beside the pinkete. "Are you sure? Don't you want to hang out some more?"

"I would love to hangout, but it's been a while since I saw her. I feel if I don't see her now, school might get too stressful that I may never get another chance."

Naruto looked at Sasuke almost like he was expecting him to say something. Sakura furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out what she was missing.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"No."

"Hn."

Naruto looked menacingly at Sasuke. "No."

"Okay." She was clearly not buying it. "Anyway, we should start off."

"Don't you want to let your food settle for a while?" Naruto was clearly stalling, "Studies show that getting up immediately after eating isn't good for you. Complications can be as minor as indigestion or as serious as ulcers and the stomach rupturing."

She stared at Naruto wide eyed as Sasuke rubbed his temples like the very conversation was giving him a headache. "Studies? Really Naruto? Forgetting for a second just how ridiculous that sounds, since when do you study?"

"Hey, I read." He smiled. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Sasuke scoffed.

"Sure. I'll believe that when I see it." She got out her phone and checked the time, "Scoot Naruto, we have to get going. I'm sure the food is settled enough and I'll be fine."

"We'll come with you then." The blonde said, "Won't we, Sasuke?" his blue eyes stared intently at the man opposite. Sasuke stared back like he was having a struggle within himself. A slight thud was heard beneath the table and Sakura heard the Uchiha groan as his face pinched like he'd eaten a lime.

"I said, wont we, Sasuke?" Naruto asked again and the look on Sasuke's face looked like he wanted to kill someone. In the end, he nodded as he reached his hand under the table and cursed under his breath.

"Cool. It's settled now. Let's go." Naruto wore a huge grin.

"No offense guys but I just want to go alone." She stared at them suspiciously. Why were they acting so weird? If she didn't know better she would have thought that Naruto had kicked Sasuke under the table. But why?

"Come on Sakura-chan, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Are you already tired of me?" he looked at her with puppy dog eyes and Sakura laughed.

"It's not that you dweeb. Family stuff, you know." She said, trying her best not to look at the quiet one at the table. His features looked so tense, like he was bottling up a million thoughts and feelings.

"Can we at least walk you wherever it is you're going?" Naruto asked.

"Okay, what the hell is going on with you two? You're acting…strange." She got even more weirded out. Why were they so intent on spending time with her? Had Sasuke told Naruto about the gunshot incidence? Was that why Naruto seemed so odd? Well, more than usual.

Naruto rubbed the nape of his neck and laughed.

"Nothing." Sasuke finally said something. Sakura couldn't help looking at him and when her eyes met his, she took in a deep breath. "Let's go." He shifted his attention to the blonde. The two shared a look that Sakura didn't understand but in the end Naruto got up.

"Where does your aunt stay by the way?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not going to her place. I'm just passing by the hospital." She answered as they started walking towards the door.

"Hospital?" he looked like he was trying to remember something. He grinned when it came to him. "The hot blonde one?!" Naruto's face lit up but not for long because Sakura's fist soon connected with his shoulder.

"Pervert, she's old enough to be your mother."

"Age is nothing but a number, Sakura-chan." He joked.

"And a jail cell is nothing but a room with bars." She looked at the black haired one, still as quiet as ever, "Do you ever talk?"

"Yes." He put his hands in his pocket and stared right at her.

"Okay. Good to know." Sakura was glad that she was getting used to him enough to stop being a babbling creep.

"Don't mind this giant douche, Sakura-chan." Naruto said as they made it to the streets. "He's built his walls so high, that no one can climb them."

"Hn."

"Yeah, that crap won't fly with me. I'm a wrecking ball and your walls don't mean shit." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and Sakura burst out laughing.

"How are you two even friends?" she continued laughing.

"Perseverance." Naruto said.

"We're not." Sasuke said flatly and Naruto shot him a look.

"Cool. So I'm the only one you forgot." It came out before she could stop herself. Damn. So it turns out word vomit is a hard condition to get rid of.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Sakura hadn't told him that Sasuke didn't remember her and she wasn't going to come clean now. She didn't even know why she had brought it up.

"Nothing. I have to go. Text me later, okay." She hugged Naruto quickly and was about to hug Sasuke when she remembered that they weren't that close and ended up standing there awkwardly for a second before she rushed off, leaving the two boys in what seemed like a heated argument.

~xoxo~

At the hospital, Sakura had been lucky to find that her aunt wasn't neck deep in work. The two had talked and caught up with each other's lives in no time. Of course they talked on phone and sometimes Sakura text, but it wasn't the same as meeting up with her mentor and actually hanging out.

At the end of the day when she finally decided to leave the hospital, she kept feeling like someone was watching and following her. It made her uneasy and remembering the shooting incident didn't put her at ease.

She kept looking back to confirm her suspicions and for a second she could have sworn she saw Naruto and Sasuke peering behind corners and hiding in bushes. _That's what happens when you spend too much time with people._ She thought. _Get a hold of yourself. _She shook her head and rushed to campus. The sooner she was indoors the better she would feel. She couldn't quite explain it but she suddenly didn't feel safe.

~xoxo~

"This plan is stupid!" Naruto exclaimed as they ducked behind a tree. They'd been tailing Sakura since they said bye outside Ichiraku's.

"That's because you came up with it, stupid." Sasuke said as he removed a leaf from his hair. What the actual annoying fuck? All this hiding in the bushes and trying to keep an eye on Sakura was ridiculous and a little out of his zone. Hell, it was a lot out of his zone.

"Shut up, you bastard. This is all your fault." Naruto shouted and then ducked down further when he saw Sakura look back. "I'm not the one getting mixed up with psychotic wanted criminals."

"Hn."

"Oh quit it." Naruto said uninterested. "You're lucky I didn't kill you when you told me your story."

Sasuke didn't want to admit it but telling the noisy blonde his entire story had felt good. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. It wasn't enough to make him quit his mission though, but it still felt good. He appreciated the blonde's tenacity but nothing could ever make him stop until he was successful. Until Madara was found and dealt with, Sasuke wasn't stopping.

"You could at least act like you care. But as always, everybody is beneath you. Giant dick bastard."

Sasuke wanted to rip the blonde a new one. He didn't appreciate being treated like this. He knew the mess they were in. He knew the risks of the path he had chosen. His brother had almost gotten killed, for goodness sake. Because of him _she_ was in danger. That was why he didn't let anybody close. It's why the only people he had confided in so far were people who shared his agenda- People who understood the risks as well. The last thing he wanted was to get _her _involved. Not when he-

He felt a jab on his side. "Stop day dreaming. She's getting away." Naruto got up and saw Sasuke getting on a bus. "Let's hurry."

For the love of fuck and fuckery everywhere. This wasn't what Sasuke had signed up for. He knew coming back to konoha was a bad idea. But this was ridiculous. With a grunt of exasperation-more upset with himself than anything else-he got up and followed the blonde. That damn Madara! He was probably enjoying this.

_Just you wait Madara. I'm coming for your ass._

_~xoxo~_

The next 5 days were some of the craziest Sakura had ever experienced. She had to lie to Ino about why she'd run off that day with Sasuke and Naruto. Her lie was simple…'I didn't see you'. A few lines about rushing so that they wouldn't miss their reservation and Ino was partly convinced. Mostly because Ino's suspicion was that Sakura was hiding Sasuke because she was afraid that the blonde might snatch him from her. Classic Ino. But at least there were no more questions.

Classes were not something she was enjoying; redhead bitch number 1 and bitch number 2 always did everything to get to her. She always felt their eyes on her and they made snarky comments about her every chance they got. Sakura found it funny that through it all, Ino was the one who was there for her. The blonde was a badass when it came to shutting down bullies.

However, that wasn't the highlight of her week. The highlight of her week was the stalking. Yep, stalking. Sasuke and Naruto always found ways of being with her. They were everywhere. They showed up at her room unannounced and she had lunch with them all the time. Jugo and Suigetsu had actually joined them no less than 3 times and she could have sworn they were stalking her too. If Sasuke and Naruto weren't lurking around somewhere, she saw Jugo and Suigetsu. What the hell was going on? She kept asking them what their problem was and Naruto always laughed it off and told her she was one of his few friends and being found together was normal.

The good thing was that Ino was rarely by the room so she wasn't around to ask questions and comment about Sakura's 'relationship'.

On the sixth day, a Sunday, she'd decided to take a walk on campus to stretch her legs. Her phone buzzed and she found it was a text from Naruto asking her how she was doing. He'd left campus the previous day but never told her where he'd gone off to. She sat down on one of the benches on the lawn and saw a familiar face behind a nearby tree. That was it. This had gone far enough. She needed answers.

Without even thinking about what she was going to say she rushed to the tree and reached for the guy's coat. "What are you doing, Sasuke?" she asked. She was upset and if he dared lie to her, someone was getting a punching.

"Until a second ago, I was leaning against this tree trunk and getting some fresh air." He said in his calm voice. He had some nerve, acting like she hadn't caught him spying on her.

"Bull." She swore. "You're stalking me and I want to know why. You've done a good job at avoiding this question all week but I've had enough. I already have a shadow; I don't need a second one. So tell me, what the hell is going on?"

He shrugged. What the hell?

"Uchiha Sasuke, you will tell me what you're keeping from me or so help me God, I'll…I'll…" she didn't even know what she wanted to threaten him with. She looked at his face and saw that the corner of his lip was curling slightly. The jerk was enjoying this. "This isn't funny, what are you suddenly in love with me or something?"

At that outburst, his eyes widened slightly and he tensed up. There it was, her word vomit was at it again. She wanted to take that last sentence back but she was frozen in place. Her eyes fixed on his and she felt almost sick in her stomach.

"I…I didn't"

"Hn." Was all he managed as he sidestepped her and walked away with his hands in his pockets. Sakura leaned against the huge tree trunk as she watched him walk away. He didn't even look back once.

~xoxo~

The following day, class was better for Sakura. She was happy because unlike the week before, this time she had impressed professor Kurenai when she gave a detailed answer in Psychology 101 while no one else even raised their hands. The bitch brigade behind her was still a pain in the ass though. After her class with Kurenai, she walked out with Ino right beside her. She was glad that the spying duo was nowhere in sight. With Naruto gone maybe the stalking would reduce.

"Just when you think a bitch can't get more desperate and pathetic, she becomes an ass kisser and an annoying lecturer's pet." Sakura heard Karin's voice behind her followed by annoying laughter from the girl she had gotten to know simply as Mei, Karin's bestie.

"And I thought her hair was pathetic." Mei added with a laugh. "That was just sad to watch."

Sakura ignored them, but Ino had other plans.

"That's it you psycho bimbos." The blonde stopped in her tracks and faced them with her legs apart and her arms folded.

"Ino, don't. It's not worth it." Sakura pleaded. Last thing she wanted to do was get in a fight with Sasuke's girlfriend. His real girlfriend.

"Like hell it isn't. No one treats my best friend like this and gets away with it." The blonde didn't even realise that she'd referred to Sakura as her best friend. This brought a smile to the pinkette's face but it didn't last long.

"Look at this you stupid bitches." She showed them her phone, the girls' eyes widened and they shared a look, "That's right, slores. While you're acting vain and making fools of yourselves, she's winning at life." Sakura wanted to see what she was showing them but the phone was put at an angle where she couldn't see a damn thing.

"Where did you get that?" Karin asked, her voice spewing acid.

"What matters is that her boyfriend is Sasuke Uchiha" Ino finally said it out loud and Sakura felt the air in the hallway thin out. The walls felt like they were closing in on her and she quickly snatched the phone from Ino. A look at the screen revealed what Ino had been showing off.

"H-how did you get this?" Sakura asked. She was on the verge of passing out. This was bad. She was staring at a picture of her and Sasuke from their ramen outing.

"I sent a copy to my phone the day you showed it to me, duh." Ino explained, "Anyway…"she switched her attention back to the girls, "you can tease her all you want but she has this piece of eye candy by her side to comfort her. You lose."

"Sasuke…" Karin's voice came out low as her eyes looked past Ino's shoulder. Sakura didn't even need to look back to confirm it. The smug look on Ino's face once she turned back told her volumes. Sasuke was behind her and he'd heard everything. Before he could deny it and make the embarrassing moment even more awkward, Sakura handed Ino her phone and ran off as fast as her feet would carry her.

"Saks, where are you going?" Ino called out. That was the last thing Sakura heard as she tried to get as far away as possible.

That had escalated quickly. A quick note, if you're going to lie about the big things, make sure you're strong enough to handle the just as big fallout.

~xoxo~

Sakura had run straight to her room and was wheezing on her bed. The panic attack was on a whole other level.

"Oh shit…oh shit…oh shit…" she kept chanting as she rocked back and forth. This was one experience she wouldn't wish on anyone. How else did she seriously see this going? She should have guessed Ino would steal a copy of the photo. That's it. She was going to drop out of school, cut her hair, paint it black and move to Timbuktu. Her life in Konoha was over. She'd miss her parents and her life but at least she would survive the suffocation from the shame she was feeling.

Oh for the love of humiliated females everywhere. She was acting like such an Ino. All drama queen and not enough figuring out what to actually do.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

She decided she was going to ignore it. She could have shouted 'go away' but that would nullify the whole ignoring concept.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

A second later the handle started turning and she felt mortified, especially once she saw who walked in. she would know those eyes anywhere. Oh come on. Give her a freaking break. When will the torture end?

"What are you doing here? Please just go." She asked him. Her face now facing her laps. Anything was better that looking at him.

"We need to talk." He walked towards.

"I don't want to talk. I've seen enough of you these past couple of days. No more stalking or lurking. Let's stay out of each other's lives. Just get out." Why was he here? How much more humiliation did he want her to experience? "Close the door on your way out." Her stomach felt uneasy. She was going to be sick if he didn't leave.

"Hn." He walked closer until he was towering her. "Good, then just listen."

"Seriously Sasuke, if you don't get out right now…I'm going to scream and the last thing you want is an attempted rape charge on your record." She looked at him to show that she was serious, "Go!"

He walked back a bit and sat his ass on Ino's bed. "I'm afraid Naruto won't let me. You see, I lied to you. That day of the shooting I knew who Madara was. I knew those gunmen were after me." he spoke and all the while his eyes never left hers. "I received a package sometime later with a fucking chicken head and your pictures warning me to stop doing something that I can't possibly stop. Their request was simple, stop and you're safe…continue and they…" he looked at her face before he added, "kill you."

"That's not funny." But she laughed it off, despite herself.

He looked serious and the panic came back tenfold. "W-what? You're not joking are you?" she asked … Had she heard right? There was a killing order up for her? Didn't that just happen in movies and books? Why would he keep such a thing from her? Then it all made sense. "Is that why-" She couldn't even finish, she was having difficulties breathing.

He nodded. The weird lunches and always being close by. Walking her to her room, all the time he'd shown up with Naruto unannounced, the hiding behind trees. In their own little twisted way, they were trying to look out for her. To protect her.

She started wheezing again and felt the room spin. In out. In out. She kept telling herself.

"Hey, relax."

"Relax?" she started laughing hysterically. Yeah, she was losing it, "Relax? How the hell do I do that after the blow you gave me? Oh shit, I'm gonna die." she breathed. He looked like he wanted to get up and walk to her bed but he still remained glued to Ino's bed. There was no comfort of any sort coming from him.

He had some nerve. This was all on him.

"How dare you?" she got up. They had no right to keep this from her. Her shame from earlier was forgotten for a second. The panic temporarily gone. All she felt was anger "You had no right."

He looked up at her confused and ended up standing as well. If he was confused then she had to get even more upset. How could he not see the wrongness in their decision to keep something so important from her? It was her freaking life that was being threatened.

"Why are you being upset? This isn't my fault."

"Ha." She ended up giving a dry laugh, "Not your fault? Let's see… get shot at? Oh, your fault. Have a death order on my head? Oh look, your fault too. Why did you even come back? You should have stayed gone."

He recoiled a bit, like her words had caused him physical pain. She couldn't be bothered about that though. Some crazy man she didn't even know of was threatening to off her. That took precedence in her books.

"We were trying to protect you." He ran his hands through his hair. He was losing his cool as well.

"Really? By hiding in bushes and acting like my tails." She gave a clap, and continued in a sarcastic "Good job. I feel safe already. Great plan you had there. Great plan, Sasuke."

"Hn." He put his hands in his pocket. "Compared to what exactly? Your genius plan of telling people that I'm your boyfriend? Pathetic."

Sakura didn't even know how it happened. Her hand lifted and it connected with his face in a slap that would leave a mark. He gritted his teeth as his dark eyes became darker.

"I hate you." She said. It was a juvenile thing to say but that was all she could manage. She knew how pathetic it was. She'd been killing herself with the knowledge for a week now. He didn't need to bring it up. How insensitive was he? There was a warning on her life. "I hate you; I wish I never met you. You are-"

"Damn it." He moved so fast that she didn't even have time to react. He pressed his lips against hers as he held her close. Time stopped for Sasuke and the world faded away…it simply ceased to exist. The death threat, her lie…everything was forgotten. Only she and Sasuke remained. Her eyes drifted closed and she was undone. His lips teased and caressed hers and Sakura was overwhelmed with the emotions. Her body melted and tingled from her head down to her toes. A tear trailed down her cheek and then she felt him tense and he broke the kiss.

His eyes were dilated and he gritted his teeth, "You are annoying." He let her go and then walked out of the room, leaving the door banging behind him and Sakura confused. She hugged herself as she slumped to her bed. She traced her lips with her fingers and could almost still feel and taste him.

What had just happened?

~xoxo~

**Author's note: ** oh my, I went AWOL for a while, didn't I? Sorry if you enjoy this story and I kept you waiting. I hate when authors do that personally.

I know it's late but **happy new year! (**I feel like a day-confused retard now.)

**So, thank you so so much. It's a great year…I actually got 50 follows on my story. You guys rock. Thanks for the reviews too. I enjoy reading those. Keep them coming.**

Xoxo

**Endorsements: **I found this cute story that I know most of you would like, it's **Loving Again **by an author named **Kiryal. **It's Au and so adorable. Check it out.

**As always tell me your thoughts on this.**

**Review. **


	9. I never stopped watching out for you

Sasuke walked out of Sakura's dorm room and as soon as he was outside and realisation of what he had just done hit him, he felt bile start to rise up his throat. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palm. Wasting no time at all, he walked to the wall and punched it once. What was it about her that had made him lose sight of what his goal was? He'd actually kissed her. He'd actually wanted to continue that kiss. What the actual fucking hell? That wasn't how he'd intended it to go. At all. He just wanted to talk to her. Last time he checked, talking did not involve him violating her mouth with his own. It didn't involve his tongue coming out to play in her sweet insides.

Shit? He was acting like such a fucking pussy.

Why did he like the idea of her being his girl? Why did his insides stir and his mind turn foggy once his lips touched her soft cherry ones? Fuck! He had to stay further away from her. This was very dangerous. He didn't feel fine.

"Sasuke? Are you…okay?" a voice reached his ears and when he turned to face the direction it had come from, he found _her _blonde friend-The one who was telling Karin about his 'girlfriend'. "I'm all about letting out my frustration but the school will definitely charge you for any damages you cause. Besides, it doesn't seem like a fair fight. The wall isn't even fighting back." She smiled at him and he just stared blankly at her.

What exactly could he tell her? That he had let his guard down and given into his most basic human cravings and actually kissed the one girl he'd promised never to get that close to? That he risked not only her life but the lives of all the people she cared about by that one simple act? He ran his hands through his hair and cursed again. He hated himself for allowing _her_ to almost bringing down his walls. He had a mission to finish and _she _had no right to mess with his mind like she'd already done.

"Is this about Sakura?" the blonde inquired.

He scoffed. What the fuck was up with females and always asking questions? Where did the need to always want to talk come from? He kept looking at her.

She continued talking and he wanted to smash his head into the wall. "About what happened back there, I was just trying to stand up for her. I didn't mean to rub your relationship with Forehead in that bitch's face. You have to-"

"Hn." He didn't have time for this crap, "Do yourself a favour, stay the hell out of my business, okay? If you know what's good for you." He looked at her and hoped she had the brains to get his less than subtle warning. He knew he looked threatening. There was no mistaking it; her widened eyes were proof of it. Then with a coldness about him, he walked away. He knew she was watching him as he left but he never looked back.

People, who got close to him, always got hurt. He hoped the blonde would relay that message to _her-_the one he's kissed- and maybe all these mishaps wouldn't happen. It was bad enough that Madara knew about her, Sasuke wouldn't live with himself if she continued to be in harm's way because of his vendetta with that piece of shit Madara.

He had to keep his distance. For her own good.

~xoxo~

He'd kissed her. He'd actually kissed her.

It wasn't some sick erotic dream. He seriously put his lips on hers and made her melt in his arms. She traced her lips and felt a shiver wash down her body. She felt warmth also. How was it possible to feel both cold and heated up at the same freaking time?

He'd kissed her. Why?

Sakura was still in a state of shock when she heard the door handle turn. She didn't even have to look up to know who it was. As soon as the door opened and she took in a whiff of the familiar expensive perfume, she knew it was Ino.

"Okay, talk to me. What the hell was that all about?" Ino asked as she walked towards Sakura's bed and then sat down.

"Ino, just leave me alone. I don't have time for this right now." her voice came out hoarse. She felt drained. Between finding out that someone wanted to kill her and then Sasuke kissing her, it was just too much for her to handle. Last thing she wanted was Ino's judgement and silly questions.

"Are you crying?" Ino sounded upset, "what did that jerk say to you? Tell me and I'll deal with-"

"Ino!" Sakura glared at the blonde and she shut up. Ino raised her hands in a show of surrender and backed off.

"I'm just trying to be a friend. No need to go all bitch-zilla on me." Ino walked to her bed and sat down.

Sakura felt bad. It wasn't Ino's fault that her lies had come back to bite her in the butt. It wasn't Ino's fault that a mad criminal was threatening her life. It wasn't Ino's fault that Sasuke had kissed her and now her mind was overthinking everything. In fact, through it all Ino was the one person who seemed to be there to look out for her. Well, in her own drama queen way. They had a strange friendship but Sakura knew she owed the blonde that much. She needed to come clean.

"I'm sorry." Sakura said and then with a sigh, she proceeded to tell Ino everything. Naruto's sick prank. The ramen outing, how the pictures came about. The shooting. Her lie. Everything. Including the death order on her head and how Sasuke had kissed her right before he walked out on her.

Through her narration, Ino just stared at her. Occasionally she would widen her eyes in shock or cover her mouth to supress a gasp. But she didn't look judgemental at all.

"I just can't believe you have been bottling all that up and I kept complaining to you about my silly infatuations. Oh Forehead, it must have been so hard for you and I didn't make it easier for you." She looked remorseful.

"So, you believe me?" Sakura asked. She was shocked. After her 'Sasuke is my boyfriend lie', she'd expected Ino to laugh at her story and just how ridiculous it sounded.

"Of course I believe you. I have eyes you know. Despite what most dumbasses think, just because someone is blonde, it doesn't make them stupid. I saw how disturbed Sasuke was out there. He was practically trying to murder the poor wall."

Sakura smiled at that visual. Composed and always in control Sasuke, taking his frustrations out on an inanimate object? Stuff sure was going to heck.

"So, what are you going to do?" Ino asked. "If I were you, I'd take his advice. Stay away from him. It seems all this craziness started happening once he came back into your life. I know you like him, but you have to let him go."

"You think I don't know that?" Sakura couldn't hide her irritation. She knew that he was dangerous. She knew that he had deep dark secrets. When you get shot at, stuff gets to be put into perspective. However, that didn't stop her stupid heart from still yearning for something it could never have. Something that could never be.

"I don't know what you know, Saks. All I know is that tall, dark and handsome out there is into some pretty deep and dark shit and if you hang around him too much, you will get shot at again. Only this time you might not be so lucky. You know that, right?"

"I know." She said in a low voice.

At that point, Sakura's phone buzzed and when she checked, it was just a text from Naruto telling her that he was coming back to campus. Just what was making him leave school for all these days?

The jade-eyed girl tried to think of how her days were like before that party when she ran into Sasuke. She'd come here to learn and live life as a college student. She never planned on ever liking a boy or sitting in her room crying as people attended classes. This was never part of the plan. With that thought in mind, she knew Ino was right.

She had to do whatever was necessary to keep Sasuke and his dangerous past away from her.

Ino cleared her throat, "So, you lied about dating that hottie, huh?" she laughed. "Oh Forehead, how desperate can you get?" she teased, her voice laced with humour.

Sakura grabbed her pillow and threw it at the blonde, "Oh, shut up Pig!" but despite herself she laughed right back.

~xoxo~

"I don't care what the hell you say father is doing. I just need five minutes. Five minutes with one of those pieces of trash and I'll get all the answers I need. I know you can make it happen." Sasuke was trying his level best not to shout into his phone. As always, his brother was being his usual calm self and telling him to relax. Sasuke had just told Itachi about how Madara was now threatening his friends and all Itachi could say was 'relax'. Fucking 'relax'?

Hn.

"Listen, these things take a certain level of calmness to be successful. Calm and patience. They may be criminals but they are still protected by the law. I just can't allow you to go in there and torture some answers out of them. Believe me, little brother, I've thought about it too." His brother's calm voice sounded from the other side.

"Thinking about it and actually doing something about it are two completely different things." Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance. This was not him. Losing it wasn't something that he did. But in light of recent events, he felt if he bottled anymore stuff up, he'd explode.

"Just be patient."

He scoffed. "I have been patient. For four goddamn years." He felt a twinge of hurt in his heart as he said that and that just convinced him that he had to end this thing. Maybe once Madara was dealt with, he could have a normal life.

Itachi hesitated for a second and Sasuke suspected he was contemplating asking him something they both knew he wasn't going to answer. So instead, his big brother just went ahead and told him he had to go. "I have to be in court in 10 minutes. If you want to talk more about this, come over to my place. And Sasuke..."

"Yeah."

"Don't do anything foolish."

"Hn." And then he cut the line.

Foolish? Sasuke almost laughed. A time to be rational was long gone. He'd wear a fucking pink tutu if it meant getting his hands on that damn Madara.

He threw the phone on the bed and then massaged his temples. Damn it. A second later he heard a knock on the door and he didn't even have time to say anything when the door opened wide. Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin all entered and they all just stared at each other.

"Did something happen?" Jugo asked.

"Not yet, but we have to find a way to talk to one of Madara's men."

"The one's in police custody, you mean?" Jugo again.

They didn't even need his answer. They knew him well enough to be sure just how far he would go to get closer to Madara.

"Nice." Suigetsu beamed, "I haven't done anything illegal in such a long time." He rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain and Jugo shook his head. Through it all, Karin was just quiet. She had her eyes fixed on Sasuke and he could feel them. He, however, didn't have time for whatever she was sulking about.

"I've heard of people breaking out of prison but never breaking into one." Jugo commented as he walked towards Sasuke's bed to rest.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Jugo." Suigetsu glared at his silent friend. Then in the next second, he was in a good mood again as he looked at Sasuke, "So, when do we do this?"

The corner of Sasuke's lip curled up.

~xoxo~

The next week passed by quicker than Sakura could say 'uneventful'. Classes were better now that the bitch brigade was no longer making it their mission to be mean to her. They would occasionally laugh at her when a lecturer pointed out something she did wrong but they didn't come right out and insult her anymore. She thanked Ino for that.

Naruto came over after classes sometimes and they had lunch together. There was no sign of Sasuke and Sakura appreciated that Naruto no longer invited him over. He still insisted on being around her a lot but Sakura declined. She didn't like the idea of living like a prisoner. She hated feeling like she was in a cage. The sooner she forgot about Sasuke and the danger he brought, the sooner she could concentrate on her classes. On her life.

"You're sure you don't want to come with me?" Ino asked.

"No. Thank you." Ino was asking Sakura to go with her to an art show that the artist was hosting. Sakura couldn't understand how someone who could have a pick at any guy on campus was so hell bent on trying to hook the one guy who wasn't interested. Though, thinking of it that way, Sakura guessed that was what was driving the blonde to not give up. In her own twisted way, it was probably a challenge and she wanted to succeed at making him like her. Classic Ino.

"Suit yourself." The blonde strutted out of the room and her heels could be heard in the hallway as she walked away.

After Sakura confessed everything, their friendship had kind of grown. Okay, fine, Ino was still a drama queen and a bitch at times but now at least she was a friend. A real friend. And Sakura couldn't have asked for more.

It was Saturday and she really needed to get out of campus. The work was piling up and she had to be in a new environment. She needed to leave for a while before she went insane. The structures and everything about campus was getting to her. She decided to take herself out. She could have asked Hinata or Tenten to go with her but tenten had gone home for the weekend and Hinata was too quiet. It would have just been like she was out alone either way. Not that she was close to either one of them. She didn't even know why the thought of inviting either one of them had crossed her mind.

~xoxo~

Sakura had stayed out longer than she'd planned. At first it was just lunch by Ichiraku's then before she knew it she had ventured into the video store opposite and laughed at all the classic movies that people used to enjoy back in the day. As the day progressed, she had gone to the cinema, the farmers market, the park and by the time it was all over, she was completely drained. But she had no regrets. She'd had ice cream, pizza, sampled different jams and pickles at the farmers market and she could almost still taste the buttery deliciousness of the cinema popcorn. Plus the movie she'd watched was epic. Any dystopian movie with a badass female character was a 5 star movie in her book.

Once she got back to her room she planned on having a really warm shower. Her muscles needed the massage. Her phone buzzed and she took it out.

**OMG, Saks. He said yes. He said yes to dinner. I told you he wanted me.**

Sakura shook her head. She wouldn't be surprised if she found out that Ino had put a gun to the poor artist's head. She laughed at the thought. Couldn't put it past Ino.

**I'm happy for you. Send me a pic. I wanna see what all this fuss had been about.**

She sent the text and walked slowly to the bus stop. She had been honest. She really was happy for Ino. At least one of them was getting the guy of their fantasy. It had been a week since she'd last seen Sasuke and she dared not even go to see Naruto at his room because she didn't want to risk seeing Sasuke. Though it was a week later, she could still feel warm and tingly over the kiss they'd shared. She couldn't imagine how seeing him would affect her.

Stupid mind-shattering kiss.

Looking around she suddenly felt a chill run through her whole body. For a week, she'd avoided thinking about the danger she must be in but in that moment, it came rushing back. The fear. The thought of strange, unwelcome eyes on her. She couldn't see anyone but she felt like someone was watching her. Hugging her jacket closer to her, she picked up her pace and cursed herself for choosing the one path where people didn't take that often. The streets were completely deserted. There was a stray cat every once in a while but what would a cat do to help her? Puss in boots, maybe...but not these cowardly strays she was seeing.

She knew she shouldn't have been having such thoughts especially when she saw head lights coming towards her. Crap. They say, if you think too much about something it's bound to come true. She froze in her step as the black van came closer and closer. Oh God. It couldn't be a coincidence. It was the same freaking van. Her heart raced and she almost had an attack.

"Not again." She turned around and started running. What could running really do against a speeding bullet? She didn't care. She had to give herself a fighting chance.

How did they always know where to find her? Maybe she wasn't crazy in thinking someone was watching her. Crap. She couldn't handle being kidnaped. Not now. Not here. And so, she ran. She ran as fast as she could but she could still hear the car nearing.

"Run, bitch, Run!" she heard a voice behind her. It was one of the kidnappers taunting her.

With only the thought to survive in her head she ran. She tripped and fell to the ground. The ground was wet and her clothes became soiled and muddy. Her knee hurt but she got up. She pushed further and further away from the incoming van and prayed that she live.

She saw a second set of headlights go on in front of her and she almost gave up. Outrunning one vehicle was one thing, getting away from two was another thing all together. She was screwed.

The new car sped forward and skidded a full 360, the car door opened wide and relief washed over her swiftly.

"Get in!" her rescuer ordered. She didn't need to be told twice. She walked towards the car and jumped in. As soon as the door was closed, the car drove off. The first gun shot went off and Sakura screamed.

"Get down!" he reached for her head and pushed in lower. The car was going so fast and manoeuvring its way in the empty streets of Konoha that Sakura felt like she was in the latest instalment of The Fast and The Furious. When she no longer heard gunshots, she knew that they had a fighting chance in this madness.

She was breathing heavily and her heart felt like it wanted out of her chest. She wanted to cry but she forced herself to be stronger. She didn't want to be weak. Not anymore. Not in front of him. Not in front of anyone.

"It's safe now." Her rescuer tried to calm her, "We lost them." He looked behind just to be safe and a sigh escaped him once he was sure.

Sakura wanted to be stronger but her body had a mind of its own. She was wheezing out of control and shaking like mad.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sasuke asked.

She couldn't breathe. She felt sick.

"S-stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the…car." She breathed. The air in the vehicle wasn't enough. She was going to pass out.

"Hey, try and relax." He removed his hand from the steering wheel again and tried to calm her.

"Stop the car!" she screamed and Sasuke brought it to a halt. No sooner had it stopped than Sakura got out, walked a short distance and emptied her stomach. Right there near the sidewalk. She didn't care how gross it was. She didn't care how he saw her. She was grateful none of it had gone into her hair. She'd just been shot at again and this time she felt even more scared. Who cares if Sasuke saw her puking?

Once she was done, she panted and took in as much air as she could. Her hands were on her knees and once she was feeling better, she straightened up and faced Sasuke head on.

"You selfish, jerk." She accused, "This is all your fault!" she pointed and didn't care how crazy she looked and sounded. In her muddy clothes, she probably looked ridiculous.

"I know." His voice low, his obsidian eyes fixed on her. He was leaning against the car and he didn't seem anything like the Sasuke she'd known these past weeks. His hands weren't in his pocket and he didn't look at her with condescension. He looked almost…sorry. Uncanny.

Okay. She hadn't expected that. Kind of hard to shout at someone who wasn't putting up much of a fight. Someone who looked as defeated and as remorseful as he did in that very moment.

"Are you okay now?" he asked. If she didn't know any better she would have said he sounded concerned.

She nodded. She didn't trust her voice. She'd promised not to let him get to her but when he was acting caring like that, her heart was kind of skipping.

Stupid heart.

"Good. Now please, get in the car. We were just shot at and I doubt those guys are the quitting type. I don't want to linger here longer than we have to."

She wanted to say no. To tell him she was not going to be taking his orders and listening to his every demand. But, really, what else could she do? Given a choice between riding with him or braving the streets alone, on foot, in her muddy clothes…going in his car with him would win every time.

So, she moved one foot in front of the other and though she was still shaking inside, she tried not to let him see just how much she was affected. Puking all over the sidewalk had kind of given too much away but she would grab on to her remaining pride and dignity and walk with her head held high.

He walked to his side of the car and waited for her to reach the car.

"What were you doing here? I mean, thanks for saving me but how were you here?" she asked. She didn't want to sound ungrateful but she had to ask how he had conveniently been there with his car.

"I never stopped watching over you." He said matter-of-factly and slid into the driver's seat.

Sakura was stunned for a second. He was still looking out for her?

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Yeah." She shook her head as she tried to push the warm feeling away. No point letting him affect her again. "Let's get the hell out of here."

~xoxo~

"I know what the plan was but plans change." Sasuke was on the phone with Jugo. "I'll come back once things settle down a bit. I just have some stuff I need to take care of first. Just don't do anything crazy whilst I'm away."

"I'm sure that last part was meant for Suigetsu so I'll pass it along." Jugo said. "You and I both know I never do crazy."

"Hn." A feminine moan filled the car and Sasuke turned his head and looked at the figure that had passed out in the passenger seat next to him. "I have to go now." he cut the line and put his full attention on the road.

The situation had escalated quickly. He hadn't managed to talk to one of Madara's men and now he had to play bodyguard to the female in the car with him. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and swore. Fuck you Madara.

The pinkette stirred in her seat and he risked a quick glance at her. She looked so peaceful and innocent. A knot formed in his throat. She didn't deserve what he was putting her through. Now it was too late though. After what had happened, he knew she could never let her leave his side.

He didn't know what he was feeling but he knew what he had to do to keep her safe.

So much for staying away from her. That ship had sailed and sank.

~xoxo~

Sakura hadn't meant to fall asleep. She'd just planned on resting her eyes for a bit but when she started waking up and looked around, she found that she'd slept for a while. For a second, she didn't know where she was or what was going on. She turned her head, looked around and when she saw Sasuke driving the car, it all came crashing down one her. She felt sick again but this time she didn't completely lose it.

She touched her face and sighed in relief when she found there was no drool.

"How was your slumber?" he asked. Sakura just glared at him, "Okay. No questions. Got it."

He put the car to a stop in the parking lot of some motel.

"Umm, what are we doing here? Sasuke what are we doing here?" she sounded panicky.

The corner of his lips curled and he undid his safety belt and opened the door. He went to the back seat and grabbed a small back pack. "You coming?"

"Not until you tell me what we are doing here?" Sakura folded her arms defiantly. She needed some answers. All this acting mysterious and dark was sexy but a time for that had long since passed.

"Really? Now?" he peered through the window at her. His eyes almost shone from where she sat. "You choose this very moment to act like a typical female?"

"Yes, Now." she shot back.

"Hn."

"Don't give me that. If you think, I'm going to have sex with you just because you saved my life you have another thing coming buster."

"What?" he gave out a chuckle. "Sex?" he shook his head, "That's what you got from all this? That I drove all the way here to fuck your brains out?"

Sakura's face reddened. "Well?" she swallowed.

He shook his head. "Those guys know your room. They probably have someone watching you on campus. I just didn't want to risk them coming to finish the job that they started. So, here we are."

"Oh." One of these days she has to learn when to shut up.

"Yes, 'oh'." He looked like he was enjoying her embarrassment and she wanted to slap that smug look off his face. Or kiss it off, whichever worked best. "Now, are you coming out or do I have to get in there and carry you out myself?"

She opened the door slowly and got out. "Fine."

"Good."

"But that's beside the point. I still want answers." She looked him straight on. "Why can't you just stop whatever it is you are doing? If all he asked is for you to stop and I'm safe, why not listen? If this Madara is such a bad guy why don't you just quit pissing him off?"

"I can't." he said flatly.

"Why not?" she pried. "What is it that you are trying to prove? Any person who sends bloody chicken heads shouldn't be messed with. Just stop messing with him."

"Hn." He gnashed his teeth.

She hated that. "Just tell me what you did to him then. Why is he after you?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Is there really a difference?" he sounded upset. Clearly he didn't want to talk about it. "Just let it go." He warned. Sakura didn't want to let it go. "Enough of this. Let's go inside."

"No. I won't have any of that. This isn't just about you anymore. My life is in danger because of your shady past. The least you can do is to explain what is so important that you would risk getting me killed."

He ran his hands through his hair and looked dang good doing it. "Damn, you can be so annoying sometimes." He let out an exasperated breathe.

"Yeah, so you keep telling me. But, that doesn't answer my question. What's so special about Madara? What did he ever do to you? What's the big secret, Sasuke?"

"Goddammit!" He swore. "The son of a bitch killed my mom, okay?" Sasuke let out the words and Sakura's knees weakened. "He murdered her right in front of me."

Suddenly falling in that murky water and puking in front of him didn't seem like the worst thing to have happened that night.

She looked at him. At his hurting face and felt like a complete bitch. She really needed to filter her words.

~xoxo~

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the follows, faves and reviews.

Okay, it's been forever, huh? Did you miss me? Lol probably not.

You know that saying, 'life is a bitch'? Yeah, well that bitch slapped me with these things called 'responsibilities' and stuff and I got really busy and couldn't write even if I wanted. It's all new to me and takes up all my time. But I had three free hours today and I wasn't as tired and managed to spew out this chapter. If it was rubbish, I'm sorry. I tried to make it interesting and all. Try writing and posting an unedited chapter and see how that goes for you lol. I know how I get upset when an author takes forever to update a story I like, so, at least for now…I can put this up. Hope you liked it.

**I won't be a dick about it and go all 'give me 5 reviews to get quicker updates'. That's some fucked up ploy and I have a functioning brain. So No, just no to that.**

I'll say this though…updates will be coming, don't give up on my little story when I don't update soon. I'll try to put up something on the weekends, though I suspect they will be shorter. **Please stick around **

**ENDORSEMENT: **This week I'm recommending a story. "**IGNITION" **by **Einna Fletcher. **It's so great. I love how her Sakura is.

**Tell me what you think. It would really make my day better. Leave me something :) *hint *hint **


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